Rise To The Top
by Fanatick
Summary: Naruto has been hated by the villagers all his life. That's going to change.He's going to rise to the top, and who knows. . . there may be rewards. . . . . . . .    WARNING! MANGA SPOILERS!  This is my first fanfiction: hope you like it! PERMANENT HIATUS
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

_Konoha, __the day the Nine-Tails attacked_

The village was in flames. It was a scene of mass panic. As the smoke from burning buildings permeated the air with a foul stench, people screamed and ran for their lives. Shadows were flickering through the darkness, heading for a figure that towered over the village. Among them was a man with bright, spiky yellow hair, who disappeared with a yellow flash. As the man reappeared and headed for the battlefield, an old man suddenly appeared beside him. The man turned to him, and asked him, "Minato, what do you plan to do about the Kyuubi? You can't just rush in there without a plan. I know you wouldn't do such a thing, but still, what are you going to do?" The man with the yellow hair replied, "Hai, Sarutobi-sensei, but we need to get there quickly." As the two leapt off of another branch, they were suddenly joined by a man with white, spiky hair, tied in a long braid. "Well, Minato, are you going to use **that **jutsu?" "Only if I absolutely must.", replied Minato. "By the way, Minato, where's Kushina?" Minato had no answer to that, and simply stared ahead, saying, "She's safe." However, while he said this, he thought to himself "Who the heck was that masked ninja? He almost killed Naruto and Kushina! I hope. . . ." His thoughts were interrupted when Sarutobi suddenly shouted "Enough talk, we're here!"

Smoke engulfed the area. It was very hard to breathe, and Minato, Jiraiya, and Sarutobi all fell to the ground, coughing, though Sarutobi was hit the hardest, as he was the oldest of the trio. They eventually rose, and staggered on through the smoke and fog. As they walked, they could hear sounds of screaming, and the ground was red-hot. The stench of death and flames pervaded the air, and it was impossible to see a thing. The fog suddenly cleared, and they could see the feared beast, the Nine-Tailed Fox! Minato's wife Kushina was laying on the ground in front of the beast, barely alive, and struggling to live.

The Fox roared, and swung its' tail, crushing a whole district, and deafening several ninja and civilians. It then stomped forward, crushing many buildings and ninja under its' feet. As it moved, the Fourth Hokage, who was Minato, leaped in front of the beast. He saved his wife, and teleported out of the area. A masked ninja watching the scene saw them go. "It's too late. You may be a small flash of hope, but you'll never stop me".

Kushina was still alive, though barely, and she asked Minato, "Where's Naruto? Is he safe?" Minato replied, "He's fine. I hid him in a safe location" Kushina heaved a sigh of relief "Thank God!" She then choked out a few words "Minato, stop him..." Minato looked at his wife sadly, and then took her to Naruto. He then left her with Naruto... and went to fight the Nine-Tails.

As he fought, he realized that there was only one thing that he could do. He went back, and brought Kushina and his son, Naruto, to the Nine-Tails' location. Kushina asked him "Why have you brought us here?" "A thought then occurred to her. "You're. . . you're not going to use the Dead Demon Seal on him, are you? You can't! He's our son, you can't sacrifice him!" Minato turned to her and said "You know that we are a family of shinobi! We have to save the village! You saw your village fall apart, so you should know the pain of growing up without a home." Kushina argued "But you don't need to die to save the village!" Minato then replied "There are things that need to be said, and only you can say them. You are the mother, after all." Minato then told her "I'm going to perform the seal now! If you want to say anything to Naruto, this is your last chance!"

Kushina looked at Naruto, and said "There's so much I want to say to you. . . . . . . . and so little time. So, I'll say the most important things. Don't fall into bad habits. Go to bed early, and take a bath everyday! Don't be a fussy eater, and grow to become a big boy! Make friends, study your ninjutsu, and listen to your teachers at the Academy! And remember, you must always avoid the three vices of shinobi, money, drink, and women! Save what you earn, and don't drink until you're 20. Even then, don't drink too much or you'll ruin your body! And as for women. . . . . . . I know that you'll want a girlfriend someday, but try not to pick a weird one, try to find someone like your mother." "And the fourth warning: Watch out for Jiraiya-sensei!", said Minato. "Naruto. . . . . . you're going to experience a lot of pain and suffering, so remember who you are! Find your own dream. . . . . . . . and don't stop trying until it comes true!",said Kushina. Minato then said, "Listen to your motor-mouth mother, Naruto." He then performed the seal "Eight Trigrams Seal!"


	2. First Encounter With The Heiress

___Konoha, 7 years after the Nine-Tails' attack_

A young boy raced through the streets, running as fast as he could. As he ran, he heard voices screaming and yelling behind him. "Run, demon brat!" "You stupid demon! You deserve to die!" "We're gonna kill you!" The men running behind him started to throw things at him, grabbing whatever they could find. Eventually, Naruto ran into an alley, and escaped the men.

As he hit the ground with a sigh of relief, he was surprised to hear a voice near him. A young girl, about his age, was looking at him. Naruto was stunned, especially by her eyes, which were a pale lavender. He asked her, "What are you doing here?" The girl told him, "I saw you running from these men. Why were you running?" "Well", replied Naruto, "I just walked into a store to buy some food, but the person at the counter refused to give me any, so I. . . . stole some. I. . . . . I know it was wrong, but I needed to eat! I haven't eaten for 3 days!" The girl looked like she wanted to speak, but he asked her, "May I finish telling you what happened?" The girl, who had been standing the whole time, sat down and nodded. "Well, I took the food, but I left some money on the counter. I had earned the money, I swear! Anyway, those men saw me, and started to chase me, so I ran."

The girl, curious, asked him, "Why did they call you those names? You didn't do anything other than try to survive." Naruto looked up, shocked. 'Someone actually believed me! Someone actually listened to me!', he thought. "Well", he admitted, "I don't really know. It started when I was 4. I was just walking down the street and people started throwing stones and other things at me, and called me 'demon'. I don't know why they did that. Apparently, I did something bad. But, the Third always protected me! One time", he said excitedly, "I was doing basic taijutsu at a training ground, and these guys with red eyes and things that looked like commas in their eyes just appeared. They did something weird with their eyes, and their eyes. . . . . well, changed."

The girl asked him, "What do you mean, they changed?" "Well," Naruto replied, "You know how I said that they had things that looked like commas in their eyes?" The girl nodded. "Well", continued Naruto, "They merged. One of them became this weird shuriken, that was curved. The other became something weird. I don't know what it was." The girl's eyes widened, and she asked Naruto if he had seen any symbol anywhere on them. Naruto replied "Yes. They had an uchiwa fan on the back of their shirts. The top half was red, the middle was blank, and the bottom half and handle were white."

The girl stood up. "Well, I have to go now. Kaa-san and tou-san were expecting me back by now. They'll probably be worried. Thanks for talking to me. What's your name?" Naruto replied, "My name is Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." "Naruto Uzumaki, huh? My name is Hinata Hyuuga. I guess I'll see you later." As she walked off, she turned around, "Are you going to the Academy?" "The Academy?" "You know, where people train to become ninja? Tou-san will be sending me and my little sister Hanabi there, once we're old enough." Naruto, crestfallen, answered glumly, "Probably not. I mean, everyone hates me, so why should I go? I'd just be laughed at, or worse." The girl, who had a shocked look on her face, walked over to him and sat down beside him. Bending over so that she had her mouth at his ear, she asked him, "Do you really think that?" "You saw those men in the street today.", said Naruto. "I'm sure that there are plenty of others." The girl smiled, and said, "Well, at least you know that I'm not among those 'others'. Well, see you." And with that, she left.

Naruto sat there, watching her leave. As he sat there, he thought to himself. "Hinata. . . . . . . . . .hmm. Sunny place." He smiled. "I like that name. Sunny place. Maybe I'll see you at the Academy after all." He then put on a big, cheesy grin, and skipped off, not knowing that what he said could not have been more true. . . . . . . .


	3. First Day At The Academy Part One

_**First Day At The Academy**_

**Thanks****to****all****the****people****who****have****put****me****on****Story****Alert****, ****and****thank****you****for****reading****my****story****! ****I****hope****you****enjoyed****my****story****so****far****. ****I****will****try****to****update****my****story****every****Sunday****. ****I****will****also****try****to****keep****the****chapters****as****long****as****possible****. ****Also****, ****I****still****need****BETA****READERS****! ****Please****PM****me****if****you****would****like****to****beta****for****me****. ****Please****review****, ****and****continue****reading****the****story****!**

It was the first day of school. Every young child hoping to be a ninja was line up outside of the school gate, waiting for the doors to open. Somebody shouted. "What the heck! When is this door going to open? I mean, sheesh! They tell us to get here on time, and then they bail on us? I say we leave and go home! Who's with me?"

The boy, named Jimantaratara, was about to turn around and leave, when with a puff of smoke, a man appeared in the midst of the crowd of students. "Alright class. Sorry for being late, I was just preparing your lesson. Anyways, if you'll follow me in, I'll show you around." The man turned and was about to walk towards the school when he turned around. "Oh, I almost forgot. My name's Umino. Umino Iruka. You can call me Iruka-sensei."

The class walked down the long hallway, finally reaching a room. The room had a blackboard and a podium at the front, with seats in rows with increasing heights. Everyone walked in and chose a seat. Most people sat with their friends or family. However, Naruto sat all alone. He was sitting at his desk quietly, silently crying. When he looked up, though, he saw a girl who looked familiar to him sitting in the seat next to his. He frowned, thinking "I know her from somewhere. . . . . ." The girl then turned to him, and said with shock, "Naruto-k-kun?"

Naruto then smiled. "I remember who you are now!", he exclaimed happily. "You're Hinata, right? Hyuuga Hinata?" Hinata blushed and said "Please, just call me Hinata. I remember you too. You were. . . .that . . . . .boy." She suddenly remembered Naruto, and exclaimed "So you came to the Academy after all!" Naruto gave her a big grin and said "That's right, dattebayo! I decided that I'm going to prove I'm an awesome ninja to the village! I'm going to show the world! I'm going to be the future Hokage!" Hinata was wide-eyed, and said, "Really? Why do you want to be Hokage so badly?"

Naruto turned to look at her, and she was surprised to see that he looked very serious. "Because people called me loser. They called me a demon. I'm going to prove them wrong. I'm going to gain their respect, and be recognized as a person! I'm going to show the world I'm Naruto Uzumaki, because that's my dream!"

Hinata smiled. "That sounds like a good dream, Naruto." She sighed. "My dream is not as exciting as yours. I simply want to be recognized by my tou-san. Right now, he prefers Hanabi, as she is stronger than me in combat. I am going to show him that I am strong too!", she said with a determined air.

Naruto laughed. "I like your dream. You know, a dream doesn't have to be exciting. It just has to be something you really want to achieve. If you work hard enough, I'm sure your dream will become a reality. I have a dream too, you know. My dream is to become the Hokage, and change this village!"

Hinata laughed, then turned around. "Naruto, I think we're supposed to be paying attention." They turned around to see an irate Iruka looking at the class, most of whom were playing games or talking, anything other than listening to Iruka.

Iruka finally got fed up and bellowed, "Will you listen to me! You are **supposed** to be having your first lesson now! We won't be able to get to the lesson if you don't quiet down! First, let's introduce ourselves. Alright, this is what we'll do! We will go from left to right. Each person must say their name and one interesting fact about themselves. First up, you there! Yes, you! With the spiky hair in a long bun!"

The boy muttered "This is so troublesome. But, I guess I have to do it." He yawned and stood up. "My name is Nara Shikamaru" he said in a bored manner. "I like playing shogi, and I am very good at it." He then sat down. Iruka called out "Next!" and pointed at a boy who was eating chips furiously.

The boy continued to eat, finally stopping and looking up. "Yes? Oh! Oh! I'm Akimichi Choji. I love eating food, and I love butterflies." He then sat down and continued to eat. Iruka scratched his head. "Okay, then. Moving on! You're next!". He was pointing at a boy with raven black hair and black eyes, who looked extremely bored. He looked up sullenly, and answered "Sasuke. I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

Of course, all the girls in the class went crazy, cheering and hooting and yelling-all except for Hinata, who looked miffed. The noise finally died down, and everyone was quiet. The rest of the introductions went smoothly, with Sakura, Ino, Lee, Neji, TenTen and the others were introduced. The teenagers were then hit with their first lesson, and nearly all of them groaned when they found out about the work that they were supposed to do.

All of them cheered when the bell finally rang, and they raced to the door. Iruka frantically chased them, shouting "Hey! Don't run! I still haven't told you the details of your homework assignment yet!" He stopped to catch his breath, panting, and sighed as he looked at the dust cloud that was left in their wake.

"Sometimes, I worry about those kids. . . . . especially Naruto."

**Okay, I tried to write a longer chapter. I hope you liked it! I am splitting this chapter into 2 parts. This is the first part of the chapter. I am going to try to update every Sunday. Just so you know, this story will follow the manga, but I am going to make some changes. I have to. Otherwise it wouldn't be "fan" fiction. Remember, please read & review! It will help a lot! I am _still_ looking for _beta readers_! Please PM me if you would like to beta! Thank you, and have a good day!**


	4. First Day Part 2: Where Is Naruto

_**First Day At The Academy Part 2**_

**Thank you to those who have reviewed my story! You help me to keep it going! I will try to make this chapter even longer than the last on! :-) Sorry about the note at the top of the last chapter. I think that Document Manager messed it up. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and please review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All characters, images, and any other items created by Kishimoto are not mine, and will never be mine.**

Naruto raced home, trying to get home before anybody saw him. He was panting hard, and crashed through several stalls, which only made the owners angry. Now, he was having to deal with several angry shopkeepers, and a whole crowd of people who wanted to kill the "demon brat". He kept running, but he was getting tired, and wasn't sure where to go, as he was nowhere near his house.

A man watched over the scene, anticipating. "Soon," he murmured. "Soon, you shall be dead, demon brat!" The man then vanished in a swirl of leaves, believing himself unseen. However, a ninja had been watching him, and as soon as he had the info, he too disappeared, reporting back to the Hokage.

Naruto was running for his life, when he was suddenly pulled into the forest. He sat down on the ground heavily, stunned, and watched the crowd rush past, oblivious to the fact that he was right under their noses. Once the crowd had passed, he turned around to thank his rescuer. "Thank you for saving me," he began. He stopped when he saw the malicious, menacing grin that the man sported. "Hello boy. My name is Hyuuga Karela. I must ask you to accompany me somewhere. It's on the Hokage's orders."

Naruto was fearful, but he brightened when he heard that this man was commanded by the Hokage. He thought, "This man looks weird, and dangerous. But if he serves the Hokage, then he can't be all that bad, can he?" He said, "Fine. I"ll go with you." The man smiled and said, "Excellent." He was actually thinking of one thing, and one thing only. "If I kill this stupid brat, I will be able to depose Hiashi. That stupid oaf has been in power long enough. I think he's growing soft, personally. He actually defended the demon at a council meeting, and he threatened to personally torture and kill any Hyuuga who touched the demon brat. That's going to change. I'm going to kill this brat, but first, I'm going to force the boy to destroy Hiashi. I'll have to get rid of my partner though. I can't have him being Hokage, now, can I? He'll just kill me for treason, and take all the spoils."

Naruto waited impatiently, so as he waited, he began to think about something he saw earlier. "I could have sworn that I saw an ANBU on the rooftops earlier. I could have sworn it. Oh, well. Maybe I was seeing things. Why would ANBU be tracking me?"

_Meanwhile, at the Hokage's office. . . . . . ._

Sarutobi sighed. Another endless mountain of paperwork. Maybe he should consider retiring. After all, he was no longer the young man that he once was, and he wanted nothing more than to retire to some quiet place in peace. However, today, his thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of an ANBU member.

Sarutobi was alert at once. "What is it? Report!" He commanded the ANBU. The ANBU replied with haste. "Sir, I was performing routine surveillance on the Kyuubi host. However, I noticed a man spying on the host, otherwise known as Uzumaki Naruto. As I was preparing to accost him, he suddenly vanished, and disappeared with Uzumaki, so I thought that I should report to you straight away."

Sarutobi, who was facing the window, said "You made the right choice. I want you to gather all Jonin level ninja, and the best Chunin. Do you know where the Hyuuga took Naruto?" "Yes sir, I placed a tracker on Naruto unseen by either of them. The tracker is sending chakra signals to me, which I can track." Sarutobi turned around. "Good. You will lead the search team. Kill anyone who gets in your way, even civilians." "Even civilians, sir?" "Yes." "Very well sir, I shall do what you requested straight away. Wait, sir, what are you doing? Are. . . . . are you coming with us? There. . . . . there's no need for you to come with us, sir! I'm sure that we can handle everything perfectly!"

Sarutobi had a hard look on his face as he stared at the ANBU. "You sound almost as if you don't want me to come. Do you feel that I would be a hindrance to the team? Come on, be open. You can speak openly about your Hokage, you know that, right? Well, man? We don't have all day to stand around!"

The ANBU slowly composed himself, and whispered, "I'm sorry about this, Lord Hokage. But the demon brat must die!" He started running towards Sarutobi as he finished his last sentence. . . . of his life.

Out of nowhere, two Jonin jumped and attacked the ANBU. One threw several kunais at his chest, severely hurting the man. However he miraculously got up and started running towards the Hokage again. "Resilient, aren't you?" heard the ANBU. Startled, he turned around, only to meet the jaws of a snake, which sealed his fate.

As the body dropped to the floor, Sarutobi shook his head. "I hate senseless violence. But sometimes, violence is necessary. Thank you, Kurenai and Anko."

"No problem, Lord Hokage" grinned the woman named Mitarashi Anko. She was grinning like a madwoman, and had her tongue out, with a snake wrapped around her right arm. She was wearing a fishnet under vest, fishnet stockings, and an oversized jacket.

The other woman shook her head. "No offence, Lord Hokage, but I would have preferred simply incapacitating him. We might have got more information out of him. Still, it surprises me that even among our own ANBU, the top stealth ninja in this village, there lay a traitor." She shook her head. "Danzo, the little rat. Has he infiltrated every organization?" Sarutobi looked at her sharply, "Kurenai, we cannot assume that this was Garbanzo's doing. We need evidence."

Kurenai sighed. "I know, Hokage, but we all know that Danzo was behind this! We may not have evidence, but this whole thing reeks of Danzo." Sarutobi admitted "You have a point. He hated the fact that Naruto was allowed to live. He's been trying to kill him ever since." Sarutobi opened the window. "But we've wasted enough time here. Let's go!" Kurenai and Anko shouted "Hai!" and followed Sarutobi.

They arrived at a large stadium, where all the Jonin and some of then

Chunin were gathered. Sarutobi stepped up to the podium, and cleared his throat to announce his arrival. As soon as he did, the crowd of ninja quieted down and he could speak.

"Everyone, listen carefully to what I am about to tell you! This is to be considered an S-classed briefing!" When the ninjas heard those words, a murmur grew throughout the hall.

"SILENCE!", shouted Sarutobi. "Now then, we have received information that is very alarming. The man Hyuuga Karela has abducted the Kyuubi's host, Uzumaki Naruto! We are going to mobilize and find them immediately. Kakashi, Kurenai, Anko, and Asuma!" The 4 Jonin jumped on the stage. "You will be in charge of Squadron 1!" All four shouted "Hai Hokage-sama!"

Sarutobi then shouted, "Ebisu, Shikaku, Uroko, Mikoto! You will be group 2! The rest of you, form your own groups and head out!" I shall lead all the groups! We shall converge on the location of Naruto and the Hyuuga! This is based on information provided by an ANBU! However, it may not be reliable, as the ANBU in question was found to be a traitor. Therefore, the information he provide us with may not be entirely reliable, so we must act with caution!"

Sarutobi was thinking deeply about the situation. "I hope we get there in time. There's no telling what will happen, especially with Naruto in the mix. Maybe. . . . . no. That's not what Minato would want us to do."

_Meanwhile, with Naruto's classmates. . . . . . . _

Shikamaru stood up and started walking away from the playground. Choji looked up in surprise, and said, "Shikamaru? Where are you going? It's not time for us to leave yet." Shino then interrupted "Choji, haven't you noticed? Where has Naruto been all this time? He's usually here by now. However, today he's not. Therefore, something is wrong. Shikamaru feels that he should investigate." He turned to Shikamaru. "Right, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru smiled. "You got it, Shino." Sakura chimed in, "Naruto? Why do you want to bother looking for him, he's such a baka!" She turned to face Hinata. "Right, Hinata-san?"

Hinata looked up with a shocked look, and told Sakura, "Naruto is NOT a baka! Sakura-san, do you know him?"

Sakura blinked. "Well, no. . . . . ." she said with uncertainty.

Just then, Tenten walked in. "Hey guys. What's going on?" She noticed Shikamaru. "And where are you going, Shikamaru? It's not time for you to leave yet, your parents usually let you stay for a long time."

Ino then appeared on the scene. "Yeah, Shikamaru! Where are you going?"

Shikamaru sighed. "I'm going to look for Naruto. It's been too long. We should be going." With that, he walked out of the park, heading in the direction of the forest.

Suddenly, an ANBU flew overhead, followed by another. Soon, the air was thick with ninja rushing towards the forest. The children, who had never seen anything like it, were full of curiosity, but were also very scared. As they watched the ninja fly through the air with wide eyes, Shikamaru spotted his father in the stream of ninja, and shouted, "Dad!" When Shikaku heard this, he immediately left the group and jumped to his son's side.

"What is it. Shikamaru?" "Dad, what's going on? Why is everyone rushing towards the forest?" Shikaku, not knowing what to say, decided that his best bet would be to tell the truth. "We're going to help Naruto." When they heard that, everyone was really scared. Hinata spoke first, "W-w-what do you mean, help Na-Naruto-kun? Is he in t-trouble?"

Shikaku sighed. "It's a long story. You should head home, it could be dangerous if you stay out on the streets." Shikamaru heard this, and being the thinker that he was, he thought, "Strange. It's about Naruto? What's so special about Naruto that all the ninja in the village have to help out? We should check it out." He turned to his dad. "Okay, dad, we'll go home. I'll make sure that everyone gets home." Shikaku smiled. "Good. I knew that I could count on you." With that, he left.

Shino had a smirk on his face, which was unusual for him. "Shikamaru, you don't really plan to do that, do you?" Shikamaru said "Nope. No intention at all. I am going to investigate. I want to find out what this emergency really is, and how Naruto got himself mixed up in it. I won't ask you guys to come. Well. . ." He scratched his head. "Choji, Shino. Do you want to come?" Choji and Shinos' faces lit up. "Sure!" Sakura complained. "What about the rest of us? Why can't we go?" "Well, for one, Choji is my friend, and Shino is very intelligent. Also, if we take more than 3 people, we could get noticed."

"That is not fair!", said a new voice. "Why can we not come?" They turned around to see a boy wearing a green spandex suit with a bowl-cut, and wearing a red headband like a belt.

The other boy, who wore a white robe, had a smirk on his face. "You know that we don't like being left out." As he spoke, his eyes, which were white, suddenly changed, making the iris more visible, with veins popping around the eyes.

Tenten was in shock. "Neji, Lee. What are you doing here?"

"Simple" answered Lee. We were heading out to train when we saw the ninja overhead. We did not know what was going on, so when we saw you guys, we came over to ask you, and we heard your conversation."

Neji added, "It'll be interesting to see what's happening, don't you think? I for one don't want to be left out. What do you say?"|

Shikamaru looked around. "Well, we've got. . . ." he counted. " Nine people. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kiba. That's who we're missing, but then we're going to find Naruto. Well, if that's everyone, let's get going!"

"Hold up a second," called a voice. They all turned around to see Sasuke and Kiba walking towards them. "Where do you think you're going without us? I want in on the action!" shouted Kiba.

Sasuke, who looked as bored as ever, said, "I agree with Kiba. If we're doing something, I want to be included. Especially if it's something to do with Naruto-baka."

Both Ino and Sakura squealed. "Sasuke-kun!" They cried and launched themselves at him at full speed. Sasuke, cool as ever, simply dodged them, and let them hit the ground.

Shikamaru sighed. "Good. You two got here. Now, we can leave." And with that, they walked out of the playground towards the forest, not knowing that they would be together like this for many years. . . . . .

**And that ends the chapter! I hope you liked it. I have made it even longer than my previous ones. I don't know when I'll next be able to update, but I PROMISE that it will be an even longer chapter. Remember, please Read & Review! Have a good. . . . . . . whatever time it is! Also, check out the fanfic: Naruto & Hinata: Rebirth Of The Namikaze, by moraven. It's awesome! Be sure to check out the second part as well ****!**


	5. A New Chapter Of Life

_**Sudden Encounter/Beginnings Of Power**_

As the leaves swirled in the wind blowing gently through the trees, a small boy, with bright yellow hair and a man walked along. They seemed to be walking with no purpose, simply there to enjoy nature. However, their purpose was much more sinister.

As they approached a white compound, the boy, curious, stopped for a moment. The man turned around, and asked him "Why did you stop?" Naruto replied, "I don't know. I just feel uneasy. Are you sure that this is the right way, mister? I don't see the bunker you told me about here." "Oh, we're not there yet. Just keep on walking, and I'll tell you when we get there." "Okay", said Naruto doubtfully.

Naruto thought to himself, "Hmm. . . . . . I wonder what he's really up to. He seems like a nice person. But, I noticed that several times, when we were close to people, he moved me away from them. It's like he doesn't want anyone else to know where we're going. But why? Unless. . . . ." The idea finally surfaced in his mind. "Unless. . . he. . .he's one of those people who want to kill me! What should I do? Should I run? No. He'll kill me before I manage to get to someone. What should I do then? I'll just tag along for now, but when the times' right, I'll do something. I don't know what I'll do, but I know that I'm not going to hurt him unless absolutely necessary."

The Hyuuga watched Naruto with a smirk. "That boy is so dumb! He probably doesn't even realise that he's under a genjutsu! Should I kill him, here and now? No, my partner wants him alive. Why, I have no idea. I need to contact him. But, how can I do it when this brat is around? I can't just leave him alone. Well, I'll have to put a barrier up. I need someone to help me. I know! I'll go to Mizuki! He could probably keep him under a barrier for some time, and since he is Naruto's teacher, he could probably pretend that it was an excersise!" He grinned in an evil manner. "Perfect!"

_10 Minutes Ago, at the Hyuuga Compound. . . . . ._

"Hinata?" "Hai, kaa-san?" "Do you think that you could go out to the market for me? I'm a little busy right now!" Ano. . . . okay, kaa-san!" Hinata gathered up some things, and left, headed for the shopping district.

As she walked towards the shopping district, Hinata heard some strange noises. "What are those sounds? It's almost like. . . . like someone running, like a ninja! But, what would a ninja be doing here? I should investigate." She left her things at a coat check, and then walked towards the forest, heading for the source of the noise.

Hinata began to get nervous. After walking for ten minutes, she still hadn't found the source of the noise. She suddenly came upon a boy and a man, sleeping. She saw that the boy was Naruto, and blushed. She also recognized the other man. He was a loyal, dutiful, branch family member, that went by the name of Hyuuga Karela. As she tried to silently wake up Naruto and ask him what was going on, the man suddenly woke up. "Oi!", he shouted angrily. "What the heck are you doing here?" He then furiously attacked Hinata with a chakra strike, which sent Hinata flying, until she hit a tree.

Naruto, who was sleeping, was awakened by the commotion. He gazed at the scene through sleepy, glazed eyes. "What's going on?", he murmured. His eyes cleared, and with horror, he witnessed the scene. Hinata, who was coughing up blood, was suddenly picked up by the throat and hurled against a tree. She was coughing worse than ever now. "You little idiot! What were you trying to do, save your little demon brat? Oh, I know! I know you like him so much that you left meals for him when we were trying to starve him to death, and you hid him from detection by us! You're the little pet of Hiashi! The little Hyuga princess!", he spat out distastefully. " Well, you're not going to do that anymore, because you won't live to see another day! I'll kill you myself!"

Naruto, who had witnessed the whole scene, was shocked and surprised, but most of all, he was angry! "You. . . . .", he intoned. Karela turned around. "You. . . . you hurt one of my precious people! You're going to pay for that!" Suddenly, a red aura began surrounding Naruto, and he charged at Karela, who jumped away from Hinata, and landed heavily on his backside.

Naruto turned to Hinata. "Hinata-chan, are you okay?" he said softly. Hinata didn't respond. Naruto was saddened, and slowly got up. "You. . . . . you. . . . ARE GOING TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HINATA!" The red chakra swirled around him furiously, and he charged at Karela, aiming for his heart. However, Karela dodged at the last minute, and countered with a palm thrust, closing off a major chakra supply. Naruto coughed up some blood, and then, to Karela's amazement, his chakra pathways began repairing themselves.

Naruto got up, and dashed at Karela. He grabbed Karela with a hand made out of chakra as he flew, and threw him to the edge of the forest, where he hit a tree and was knocked out. Karela was no more danger to them, as he was unconscious, nearly dead. Naruto's chakra cloak wore off, and he collapsed from exhaustion. He lay on the forest floor, unconscious.

_With the rest of the Konoha 11. . . . . . _

Shikamaru and the others were heading for the forest, when they heard a scream. "What was that?", asked Sakura. "I do not know, Sakura-san.", replied Lee. Neji said, "We should go investigate." Tenten raised her voice, "I second that." Choji, who was still eating, said, "I (munch) totally (munch) agree (munch) with (munch) that. (munch)" Sakura agreed, "Me too." So did everyone else. They started walking in the direction of the trees.

Sakura suddenly stopped. Everyone turned around to look at her. "Do you guys. . . . feel something?", she asked, suddenly shaking. Neji, and then, Neji said, "Yes. There's . . . . a weird chakra signature." Tenten added, "It feels. . . . malicious." "Come on everyone!", shouted Lee. "That is all the more reason for us to get there as soon as possible!" With that, he dashed off towards the forest, with everyone else running behind him, keeping an even pace. "I only hope that we are not too late." said Tenten.

They finally arrived at the scene, and started looking for the chakra source. Suddenly, Choji shouted, "Look guys! Naruto and Hinata are over here! They're not moving!" "What?" said Shikamaru. "Okay everyone, we have to get them to the hospital! The girls will carry Hinata, we'll carry Naruto! Okay everyone, go!" Just as they were about to leave, however, they were met by the arriving shinobi forces. 'What's going on here?" shouted Sarutobi. "What are you kids doing here, and. . . . " He spotted he unconscious Naruto and Hinata. "What the heck happened to Naruto and Hinata?"

Shikamaru, while frightened, boldly answered. "We heard strange noises, and then, we felt an immense chakra spike. We came to investigate. When we found Naruto and Hinata, we decided to take them to the hospital. That's all!"

"Hmm...", said Sarutobi. "Should I believe you? Well, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time. But next time," he warned, "I will be far less lenient. Do you understand me?" All the children shouted, "Yes, sir! We understand, sir!" Sarutobi smiled. "Good! Now, we'll help you get Naruto and Hinata to the hospital."

Neji, who had his Byakugan active, said, "One moment, Lord Hokage." Turning around to face Neji, Sarutobi said, "What is it?" "My lord, I have found someone unconscious among the trees. He is very close to death. He. .he has the Byakugan." Neji's eyes widened. "I remember him!" he shouted. "He's Hyuuga Karela, the deputy head of the branch family!"

At this, a large murmur started within the crowd. "Hyuuga Karela, you say?", asked Lord Hiashi. "Hai, Hiashi-sama.", replied Neji. At that moment, Hinata woke up. They rushed to her side. "Hinata!", they shouted. "Hinata, are you awake? Can you hear us?"

Hinata, who was covering her ears, said meekly, "A-a-ano, I can hear you. B-b-but, do you think that you could be a bit quieter?" At once, everyone calmed down. "Hai, I'm fine." Everyone crowded around her, asking questions. "Hey, Hinata! What happened? Was it something to do with Naruto-baka?" "Hinata! Are you okay?" "Hinata, Hinata, tell us what happened!" However, Hinata, overcome by the stress of the event she had just gone through, her proximity to Naruto, her confession, and all the people crowded around her, passed out.

**And, cut! I know, I know. Everyone's going to hate me. The reason I cut it here is because I thought that it would be a good ending. Also, I didn't want to make the chapter too long, because I'm going to explain a lot in the next chapter. Anyways, please Read & Review! Also, I STILL NEED BETA READERS! PLEASE PM ME IF YOU ARE INTERESTED! That's all, folks! Have a good day, and I'll see you when I next update. Fanatick, out!**


	6. A Lot Of Explanations, And The Meeting

**Hello everyone! I hope that you enjoyed the last chapter! Thank you very much to a certain reviewer. I will do my best to do what you suggest. Also, please feel free to give me feedback by messaging me as well! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING RELATED TO NARUTO! ALL THINGS RELATED TO NARUTO BELONG SOLELY TO MASASHI KISHIMOTO!**

_**Chapter 6: A Lot Of Explanations, and The Meeting. . . . . . . **_

_**A few days later, inside Konoha hospital. . . . . . . .**_

Naruto woke up, groaning. "Oh. . . . . what a headache!"he groaned. "What the heck happened?" He looked around him, taking in the whitewashed walls of the building. "And why am I in the hospital?" The Hokage then walked in through the entrance to the ward. "Ah, you're awake.", he said. "Good! Now, when you feel up to it, you can tell us what happened there. We really need to know." Naruto replied smartly with "Hai, jii-chan!" "Oh, and also, your friends are waiting for you outside, and you owe them an explanation too." Naruto nodded. "Okay, jii-chan!"

He suddenly remembered Hinata. "Jii-chan?" Sarutobi sighed. "Yes, Naruto?" "Where's Hinata? Is she okay?" Sarutobi smiled. "Yes, she's fine, Naruto. However, she'll be getting out of the hospital before you. After all, your injuries are more severe. You'll need to stay here longer." "What?", said Naruto, comically erupting. "Why can't I leave with her? I'm fine!" "No, you're not," said Sarutobi. "As I told you, your injuries are far more severe than hers. In fact, if your friends hadn't found you and Hinata in the forest when they did, you and Hinata would be dead now!" Naruto was silent after that, stunned by the reality of the situation. "I-I'm sorry, jii-chan. I understand.", he said, with his head bowed down.

Sarutobi smiled once more. "Well, it's okay, as long as you understand and appreciate what has happened. Now, you should get some rest. We don't want our Rookie Of The Year being in so bad a condition that he can't come to the presentation ceremony, do we?" Naruto was stunned by this. 'Me, Rookie Of The Year?', he thought. Sarutobi guessed what Naruto was thinking. "Yes Naruto, it's really you. You deserved it. You protected Hinata from that man, and you stood up for her. I think that deserves a reward." Tears were welling up in Naruto's eyes. "Thank you jii. . . I mean, Hokage-sama!" Sarutobi frowned, then smiled. " You actually called me Hokage-sama! You definitely deserve Rookie Of The Year!" Of course, being Naruto, he replied with a cheesy grin on his face, "Hai, jii-chan." Sarutobi then did a face-fault, and thought, 'I should have known better.'

Just then, Naruto's classmates arrived in the room. The Hokage looked at them, and said to Naruto, "I'd better be going. I have work to do. Besides, I don't want to prevent your friends from talking to you, do I?" He rose, and said, "Ah! I see that you've come to see Naruto! Well, go on, then. I have to get back to my office." With that, he left the room.

"Well, Naruto, you got yourself into a right mess this time, and no mistake!", said Kiba. "Hey Naruto, are you okay?", said Shikamaru. "Naruto, how are you?", asked Tenten. "Naruto, you did well! The flames of youth burn brightly within you!", shouted Lee enthusiastically. "Hey baka, what happened to you?", said Sakura. "Oi, dobe, what the heck happened to you?", said Sasuke in a bored tone. Naruto was overcome. Never in his life had he had someone talk to him like this. Never had he had someone who actually cared for him. . . . . until now. He cried happily. 'I have friends!', he thought. 'I have friends! And. . . what Hinata said.". and he blushed.

Everyone calmed down just then. "Okay, Naruto.", said Neji. "You owe us some explanations." Naruto nervously chuckled, and said, "Uh, um, well, do you think that we could do this after I get out of the hospital?" "NO!", was the unanimous reply. "Naruto," said Neji, "You will either tell us what happened, or. . . . . you are going to be staying in the hospital a lot longer than you expected to stay." Naruto gulped. "Um, okay then." Everyone crowded around him, waiting expectantly. "You see, I was running from some people." "Why?", asked Lee. "I-I really don't know. They just. . . . got mad at me, for no apparent reason. They were shouting things like "demon brat" and, and, "demon boy". They chased me down the streets." Everyone's eyes widened, and they were listening intently by this point. "Suddenly, a man pulled me into the forest." "WHAT!", shouted everyone. Naruto covered his ears, hoping that the noise wouldn't deafen him.

Sakura asked, "Well, what did this man look like?" "Well,", said Naruto, "He was wearing a white robe with a girdle. He had pale skin, and white eyes. His eyes were also bulging, and there were veins coming out of them." Everyone's eyes widened in shock. 'That means that it was a Hyuuga!', Thought Shikamaru and Neji. 'But who?', Shikamaru and Neji wondered. "It must have been that Hyuuga traitor they were talking about!", they realized. "Naruto," asked Shikamaru. "Did this man tell you his name?" Naruto, who looked mildly surprised, said, "Oh, yes. He said that his name was Hyuuga Karela. Why?", he asked curiously. Neji's eyes widened in shock.'So it was him!',he thought. "Naruto," began Neji. "That man, Hyuuga Karela, was a traitor to the village. He was planning to usurp Lord Hiashi's position as leader of the Hyuuga clan. He planned to have you kill everyone in the Hyuuga compound, then he would have killed you! If Hinata hadn't been there. . . . . . . ." he trailed off. Everyone stood there with horror, contemplating the possible outcome that could have occurred.

"Well, thank Kami that didn't happen." said Lee. Everyone nodded fervently. The silence persisted in the air, giving the room a gloomy mood, Shikamaru stood up, and straightened his back. "Well," he yawned, "As interesting as it is, we can't just sit here all day. I'm sure that we all have things to do. So, we'll leave you alone. Come on, everyone." Everyone agreed with him, and they left, leaving Naruto alone in the hospital with his thoughts. 'Wow, what a week! I wish I could leave now. And I need to talk to Hinata. . . . . . . .'. He happily drifted off to sleep, waiting for the morning.

_**Evening, 05:00 P.M.**_

Naruto woke up, and groaned. "Oh, my back." He sat up, and looked around the pitch black room, eventually deciding to leave and ask the nurse whether he could leave. He tried to get up, but he was stopped by a hand wearing a glove with protectors. He looked up, and saw a man wearing a red robe, with a long length of spiky white hair. "Who are you?", he asked the man. The man face-faulted, and Naruto was surprised. The man then got up and said, "WHO AM I? Who am I, you ask? You, are a rude boy!"

Naruto blinked. "Um,. . . . okay.", he said uncertainly. The man leapt on Naruto's bedside table, and proclaimed, "It is I, the great Toad Sage. . . . . . the legendary Jiraiya! One of the legendary Sannin, annnd the BIGGEST pervert in the UNIVERSE!" He cocked his head and looked at Naruto. "Oh, and who might YOU be?" Naruto was a little nonplussed by Jiraiya's entrance, and he didn't answer for a while, trying to stop the ringing in his ears. ''I'm Naruto Uzumaki!", he proudly proclaimed. "Future Hokage of the Leaf Village, and Rookie Of The Year at the Ninja Academy!" Jiraiya smiled, and said, "Is being Hokage your dream?" "You know it, dattebayo!", said Naruto, grinning widely. "Well, that's a great dream!", said Jiraiya. "But you'll never accomplish it, unless you get out of the hospital and do some heavy training!" Naruto looked down and said, "I know. . . . . but who will train me?" 'Don't sweat it kid, I'll train you!", said Jiraiya. Naruto's face lit up, and he shouted, "Really? Really? When do we start? Can we start now?" He was frantically jumping around, bouncing on the bed, and jumping off of the door.

Jiraiya grabbed Naruto, and set him down. He knelt till he was at Naruto's eye level. "Listen to me, Naruto!", he shouted. "You are going to have to be a lot older before I can teach you jutsu.", he said. "You may be Rookie Of The Year, but you can't just jump ahead of everyone else!" Naruto said, "Okay, I understand." Jiraiya stood up, "Come on, kiddo. Back in bed with you!" He hoisted Naruto into bed. Naruto drifted off to sleep as soon as he was in the bed. Jiraiya stood there for a few moments, watching over Naruto. After a few minutes, he said, "I know that you're there, Hawk. What is it?" The ANBU Hawk, surprised that he had been found, said, "Jiraiya-sama, the Hokage has called a meeting of the council. He requested that you attend, since you are in the village."

Jiraiya sighed, and said, "Fine. I shall attend. You may go." However, the ANBU lingered for a bit more, and eventually asked him, "Jiraiya-sama, are you sure that it is okay to leave the boy here like this? Someone may attack him. Shall I ask the Hokage to put a guard of ANBU around his room and the hospital, or should I stay here and guard him?" "Neither", replied Jiraiya. "I am going to leave a shadow clone here. That should be fine." The ANBU nodded. "Alright, Jiraiya-sama. I will accompany you to the meeting." Jiraiya nodded, and after creating a shadow clone each, the two left the hospital, headed for the meeting. "So, where is this meeting?" asked Jiraiya. The ANBU replied, "At the Hokage Monument. The Hokage felt that that would be a safe place to meet, as this meeting is supposedly about sensitive information." Jiraiya accepted the answer without saying a word. They continued jumping from treetop to treetop, heading for the Hokage Monument.

_**10 minutes later, at the Hokage Monument**_

Sarutobi stood on a podium, amidst a swarming crowd of ninja. The Monument was packed with ninja of all ages and sizes, all waiting for the word of the Hokage. When Jiraiya and the ANBU got there, the noise died down. "Alright, everyone!", shouted Sarutobi. "The reason I have called you here today is to discuss the incident involving Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and Hyuuga Karela!" Upon hearing the last name that Sarutobi called, Hyuuga Hiashi clenched his fist so hard that blood started dripping.

Sarutobi looked around the room as he spoke, "As you know, Naruto Uzumaki was coerced into going with Hyuuga Karela by the man himself! They then entered the forest, and stopped to take a rest. Hyuuga Hinata was out that day, running errands, when she heard noises and decided to investigate. She found Naruto and the man, sleeping. She proceeded to try to wake up Naruto to ask him what was going on, but was attacked by Hyuuga Karela, who woke up when she came near them." At this, Hiashi's eyes hardened.

Sarutobi continued to relate what had happened. "Hinata was knocked out, but upon hearing the noise, Uzumaki Naruto woke up, and transformed into an unknown form, presumably tapping into the power of the Nine-Tails." A murmur started in the crowd. "We suspect this because several ninja, including myself, felt the Nine-Tails chakra spike in the area where we found Naruto and Hinata!" One ninja, who was coughing very badly, raised his hand. The Hokage saw this, and said, "Yes, Hayate?" loudly. "My lord, did the Nine-Tails make an appearance?" "No," replied Sarutobi, "Naruto was in control. However, it seems that he was more. . . . animalistic. Foxlike, almost." Upon hearing this, one of the ninja shouted, "Lord Sarutobi, I suggest that we put him down immediately! That. . . . . that. . . . . boy," he spat out, ". . .is a threat to this village, and all of it's inhabitants!" Sarutobi coldly gazed at the man. "It is people like you who cause jinchuuriki to abandon their villages.", he said quietly. "He hasn't even done anything except defend himself and a friend, and you suggest killing him. For that suggestion, YOU shall be killed."

The man, astonished, found himself at the points of a dozen kunai. The man appealed to a man with spiky silver hair that went upwards, towards the sky. "Come on, Kakashi! You know that I am no danger to the Leaf village! You know that I am loyal to the Leaf village!" Kakashi simply shook his head. "Kurodo", he said, "The moment you chose to say what you just said, you abandoned us all. And you know what?" Kakashi whispered in Kurodo's ear, "There is no room in this village. . . . for traitors." With that, all of the ninja plunged their ninja into Kurodo's body, killing him. He screamed for a few seconds, then went limp. Sarutobi grimly said, "Thank you. That man could have been a danger to the village." One of the ninjas, who had been searching the man's body, suddenly shouted, "Lord Hokage! I found something!" "What is it?". demanded the Hokage. "Lord Hokage, it appears to be a note, from. . . . . . " The man was silent, and wore a shocked expression upon his face. "From. . . . Orochimaru.", he said, in a shocked tone.

This caused an uproar among the ninja. Ninja were talking amongst each other with a frightened tone, whispering. "O-Orochimaru? No way!" "Oh. .. oh, what the hell are we going to do?" "We can't fight him! He's a Sannin! We'll be killed!" "SILENCE!", shouted Sarutobi. He looked around at the ninja. "Instead of panicking, listen to what the note says!" He nodded at the ninja. "Please read us the contents of that note!"

The man, named Ebisu, said, "Yes, my Lord." He cleared his throat, and began:

_Monday, January 2nd_

_ Kukukukuku, hello, my operative. I trust that you have been following my orders faithfully, hmm? It was so easy to convince that fool Sarutobi to let you in. Now, we must move to Phase 2 of the plan. I wish for you to investigate two of the children currently in the Academy. They are. . . . . very special. The first is Uchiha Sasuke, the son of the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku. Also investigate a boy named Uzumaki Naruto. That boy has the Nine-Tails sealed inside of him. He could be very useful, if we play our cards right. However, Uchiha Itachi is our prime target, though it wouldn't hurt to have a backup. Also, try to dispose of the Third. We don't need him meddling in our plans, now do we? Complete these tasks as quickly as possible, then send me a progress report. Be warned. If you do not complete these task's quickly, you will not live to see another day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_Orochimaru_

Ebisu looked up. "That's all, my Lord.", he said. Sarutobi clenched his fist, and gritted through his teeth. 'Orochimaru!', he thought. 'I should have known that he would be behind something like this!',he thought. "Okay, everyone!", he said. "We are going to set up a defence perimeter around the village. We will still accept missions, and life will go on as usual. However, be on your guard at all times." "Orochimaru could strike anywhere.", warned the Hokage. "As for your students, do not tell them anything! We can't afford to have them worrying! Doing so may result in their deaths! So remember, not a word to anyone except to those in this room!" Everyone nodded, and shouted, "Hai!". Sarutobi then said, "You are all dismissed!" All of the ninjas shunshined away. Sarutobi wondered,'Things are getting intresting around here.' He smiled.' It seems Naruto has been the catalyst. I think that we can expect great things from him. . . . . . . . '

**AAAAND. . . . . . . . . . . . CUT! Okay, that's it for this chapter. I hope that you guys like it! Remember, as always, to read and review! I will try to update every weekend still, but I may not be able to. Please understand if that is the case. I promise that my chapter releases will occur WITHIN (AT MOST) TWO WEEKS of each other. Have a good day, and see you next time, on Rise To The Top!**


	7. Finally, A Ninja!

**__****Hello everyone! This is Fanatick! Thank you for reading my story! Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that my updates are now going to come a long time after each other, because I will be trying to write really, REALLY, long chapters. I hope you understand. Also, a HUGE THANK YOU to my BETA READER, Biohazard938! I really appreciate their help in getting these chapters ready for release! Anyways, on to the story!**

**__****DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY COMPUTER, MY BOOKS, AND MY MUSIC! (I KNOW, SAD (CRIES))**

___**Finally, A Ninja!**_

Naruto woke up in the hospital once more, remembering the events that had occurred recently. He was wondering if he would FINALLY get to leave the hospital. He HATED hospitals, and he wanted to be out of there as soon as possible. The door to his ward slowly opened, and Naruto sat up, hopeful. However, when he saw that it was the Hokage, his face fell. He sighed. "Jii-chan, what is it now?"

The Hokage looked serious. "Naruto," he began, "You are now well enough to leave the hospital. Because of that, I must request that you accompany me when you leave." "But why?", said Naruto. _'What did I do this time?'_, he thought. Sarutobi, as though reading his thoughts, said, "Don't worry Naruto, you're not in any trouble. We simply have to ask you a few questions."

Naruto then relaxed. "Okay, jii-chan.", he said. Sarutobi was in thought, and after a while, he said, "You know what, Naruto? I think that it would be better for us to meet at your ceremony. You're going there anyways, and I don't want to make you go out of your way. Anyways, go there, and I will escort you to a secret place that I have arranged." Naruto was confused by this initially, but then said, "Hai, jii-chan!"

The Hokage frowned momentarily, then smiled. He said, "I'll see you there, Naruto!", he called over his shoulder as he was leaving. ___'That boy,'_he thought, ___'Minato, he looks just like you. And Kushina. . . . . . you definitely live on through him. His personality is just like yours.__' _He sighed. ___'If only you could have been here for him. . . . . but sadly, you're not. Just at the time when you needed him most.' _The Hokage was out of the hospital now, and he looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day out, and he smiled as he said, "But then, you two sacrificed yourselves for him, didn't you? I suppose that's the ultimate show of parental love." He then walked away, back to his office.

___1 hour later. . . . . . ._

Naruto stood at the desk impatiently, waiting for the receptionist to clear his release from the hospital. He was tapping his foot, and scowling. But inside, he was very happy. _'____Yes! Finally out!__'_,he thought. His mind turned to more pressing matters. _'____Well, I have a lot to do, too. I have to go to the Academy today for the Rookie Of The Year ceremony, and I have to. . . . talk to Hinata. I'd better talk to her before the ceremony. I won't have much time afterwards, since the ceremony will continue till late.__'_ He was brought back to the real world by the sound of the receptionist stamping his release papers, which she then handed to him. "Alright, young man, you're free to go.", she said.

As soon as he heard those words, Naruto rushed out of the hospital door, and ran down the street. He headed for his home, ignoring the dirty looks on the way. However, he noticed that there weren't as many as before. Now, it seemed like some of the villagers accepted him for who he was, and trusted him. He happily sped up, and rushed home, so that he could be ready. When he reached his home, however, he relaxed, and walked inside normally. He decided that he would rest for a bit, and then he would get ready for the ceremony later on. He yawned, and went to his bed, and then went to sleep.

___An hour later. . . . . . ._

Naruto woke up, sweating. _'____That was some dream.'_, he thought. He remembered the dream, and he thought about it as he lay on the bed in his room:

___Naruto's Dream_

Naruto was standing in water up to his ankles. He curiously looked around, and lifted a foot cautiously. He put it back down, and surveyed his surroundings.

He was in what appeared to be a dark, dank corridor. The walls glistened with the dirty water that ran through the corridor, and there were several doors in the walls. Wondering what this place could be, he walked forward, looking everywhere, when suddenly, his eyes fell upon a door unlike the others.

The door had ornate carvings on it, in various loops and swirls. Naruto felt a sense of foreboding and danger: he couldn't explain it. ___What could be in there?_, he wondered. ___Well, I'll find out when I open this door. But. . . I don't know. It might be something bad.`_He swallowed nervously, contemplating the door in front of him. He then made his decision.

He pushed at the door. It was so big that it didn't move at first, but it gradually started moving, and finally opened just wide enough for Naruto to squeeze through. He did so, and when he was on the other side, his eyes widened in shock as soon as he looked up.

There, in front of him, was a cage. But that wasn't why he was shocked. Inside the cage was a giant animal. A canine, of some kind. Now that he thought about it, it looked. . . . like a fox.

But it was like no fox Naruto had ever seen. Not that he had seen many. He wasn't much of an animal person. It wouldn't have mattered, anyway. THIS fox was an. . . . orange-red colour, with white eyes which had red slits in them, and it gave off an evil presence.

Naruto stared at the beast. "Who ARE you? Actually, **W**HAT are you?", he said loudly. The fox, if that was what it was, reared back his head, and laughed loudly. _(Author's note:_ **"********This is Kyuubi speaking"****_._**_)_ ******"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"**The fox, who was convulsed with laughter, stopped laughing and looked at Naruto. ******"You little squirt! You dare ask who I am? HOHOHOHOHO! I'm only the Kyuubi, the most powerful bijuu in the world!"**

"Okay, okay!," said Naruto. "Stop being so sarcastic! What the heck are you doing in my head?" The Kyuubi didn't know how to answer this question. _(Author's note:_ ___**'**__****__**This is Kyuubi thinking'**__****__) _**__****'**_****__**Well, he is going to have to learn about his parentage sooner or later,' **_thought Kyuubi. _****__**'**__****__**But not now. He's far too young. Maybe when he gets older. But definitely not before he's at least 15.**__****__**'**_

The Kyuubi sighed, and in response to Naruto's question said, ******"I'm sorry, Naruto, I can't answer that question yet. But, I will tell you that in the forest, it was my chakra that you were using." **Naruto`s eyes widened even further. "Wait, YOUR chakra?", he said. A look of understanding dawned on his face.

"Oh!", said Naruto. "I was wondering where that red chakra came from all this time. And it was yours?", he asked. The Kyuubi proudly said, ******"Yup! That red chakra was mine. Anyways, you'd better wake up now. You have 2 hours to get ready for the ceremony this evening. You also want to talk to that girl, don't you?"**Naruto blushed. The Kyuubi broke into a wide grin, ******"I knew it! Go on, go on,"****, he said. ********"You need to get ready!" **Naruto left his own mind, and the Kyuubi was left with his thoughts.

_****__**`That boy is the cause of my salvation. I now see things clearly.` **_He laughed. _****__**`Minato, you bastard. You made me curse you and bless you at the same time. You sealed me inside this boy, imprisoning me, but you also made the scales fall from my eyes. I am no longer the beast I once was. I now have reason, thanks to you. I still need to repay you, though. I will repay you by watching over your son. I promise that I will make sure that he comes to no harm.`**_

___In the real world in the present. . . . . ._

Naruto yawned, and sat up. He decided that he would think about what the Kyuubi said. Meanwhile, he decided, he was going to have a shower and get ready for the ceremony tonight. He got out of bed, had a quick snack (Ramen, of course), and then went for a bath.

___After the bath, what seems like 10 minutes later_

Naruto got out of the washroom, and went to his room to change. He came out, got ready to leave, and then walked out the front door, leaving it closed behind him. He skipped along in a jolly manner, happily contemplating the ceremony. . . . . . . . . .

___At the ceremony, 06:30 P.M__._

Naruto arrived at the ceremony early. The ceremony would not start until 07:00 P.M., but he wanted to get ready. He was extremely nervous. He hoped that being there early would help him to calm his nerves. ___'Okay,' _he thought. ___'Okay, I can do this! I'm just here for the ceremony. There's nothing to be worried about. It's just a ceremony. . . . . . . ah, what the heck! I'm so nervous! I hope. . . yeah, it'll be fine.'_He relaxed. ___'Just don't think about the people who will be watching. Don't think about them. Just. . . just think of. . . . the congratulations from my friends after the ceremony. Yeah..__' _Upon thinking this, he blushed, and was startled when he heard a voice. "Ah, Naruto, here early?" Naruto, frozen, slowly turned around, only to see the Hokage standing behind him with a wide smirk on his face. Naruto nervously said, "I was trying to think of what I would do at the ceremony. I mean, I've never been up in front of so many people before. What am I supposed to do, what am I supposed to say? I just don't know!"

Sarutobi listened to Naruto with a growing look of sadness in his eyes. ___'This poor boy has been all alone from the beginning. He has no idea what it's like to be socially active. Everyone has shunned him ____for years.'_Sarutobi sighed, and said, "Naruto, when you get up there, say whatever you like. Just. . . just don't embarrass yourself. You'll know what to do when you're up there." Naruto just stood there, looking confused, "That's it, jii-chan? Just say whatever I like?" Sarutobi said, "Well, no, not ANYTHING. You can't insult someone, for instance, and you can't just get all excited like you usually do. You need to be. . . . calm." Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Um, jii-chan, I'm not exactly good at being calm. In fact, I'm rather good at being exactly the opposite." Sarutobi shook his head, and said, "I'm sorry, Naruto. This is something you'll have to work out on your own." Sarutobi checked the time, and said, "Oh dear! Quick, quick, Naruto, go backstage! The ceremony starts in 10 minutes, and we need to be ready!"

___10 minutes later. . . . . . . . ._

Backstage, Naruto was fidgeting, even though he knew what he had to do. ___`Okay, Naruto, calm down. You just have to go out there, accept the award, then go backstage, change into regular clothes, and go downstairs. But, everyone will be watching! Does that mean I will have to say something?'_Naruto, who was nervously fidgeting, came to attention when he heard Sarutobi's voice like a foghorn. "Many times in the past, we have had a Rookie Of The Year. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here at Konoha's Ninja Academy, we award the students with the highest achievement a title. This title is Konoha's Rookie Of The Year! It is hard to choose any one person, from all, it was the talented young prospective ninja who go through our Academy."

Sarutobi continued to speak. "This year, it was exceptionally hard, as we had so many talented young ninja! However, after a certain incident occurred, I, along with the teachers of the Academy, made a decision! This year, our Rookie Of The Year is a young boy, who risked his life to protect his friend from a rogue ninja of his village!" At this, murmurs sprang up among the crowd, as they wondered who it could be. Sarutobi smiled as he lifted the trophy from it's podium. Naruto's friends looked excited. Lee pumped his fist in the air, Neji and Hinata were smiling; Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and the other girls looked excited; and the rest of the boys, Kiba, Shino, Sasuke and the others had happy expressions on their faces, or in the case of Sasuke, a bored happy expression.

Sarutobi announced, "I am proud to announce this year's winner. . . . . . . Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto stepped onto the stage, amid shouts of approval, jubilation, excitement, and a few cries of disparagement. He walked up to the podium, shook hands with him, and nervously stood at the podium, trying to think of what to say. Below him, everyone looked up at him expectantly, some in an encouraging way, others looking at him with hate, daring him to make a mistake mistake.

Naruto nervously cleared his throat, and spoke "I. . . . okay, I don't have any eloquent speech prepared. I'm not the type of person who can discourse about things effortlessly and fluently. But I'll do my best." He took a deep breath to calm himself, and then began in earnest. "I am very grateful for this award. But I NEVER would have been able to do this without the help of my friends and teachers. They taught me everything I know, and they are the reason I stand here today. I will never forget everything that they have done for me, and I appreciate them very much. To my teachers at the Academy, who helped me when I didn't know what to do, thank you so much! Your help was what allowed me to graduate, and what allowed me to defend myself. To my friends, thank you for supporting me when no one else would. You helped me to stand on my feet again. So, once again, thank you to all of you! I really appreciate what you have done for me!" After he finished, everyone stood up, and gave him a standing ovation. Naruto, who was very touched by this, started to cry with tears of joy, and he proudly held his prize high in the air, waving it around. He left the stage, and everyone cheered for him.

___After the ceremony, outside the hall. . . . . . . . . . ._

Naruto was relaxing by the pond outside of the hall. He was still trying to take in the fact that he had been named Rookie Of The Year, when he heard someone approaching him. He saw Sarutobi, and he moved, so that Sarutobi could sit down comfortably. "Ah, thank you, Naruto. I appreciate what you do for an old man." Sarutobi sat down, then turned to Naruto, and started grilling him. "Alright, Naruto, you know what I want you to tell me. Tell me what happened in the forest." Naruto looked irresolute, but he decided to tell the old man what had happened.

"Well," began Naruto, with Sarutobi listening intently, "I was. . . running away from some people who were chasing me, b. ." Sarutobi interrupted, and asked "Why were you running? Why were they chasing you?" Naruto, who looked sad, said, "I don't know. They were calling me names, like 'demon' and 'brat'." Sarutobi looked shocked upon hearing this, and said,"What? Naruto, how long has this been going on for? Why didn't you tell me, or some other responsible adult? We could have prevented this from happening!" Naruto looked down at the ground, and said, "Well, jii-chan, I didn't want to tell anyone, because I thought. . . . I thought that nobody would help me!" Naruto looked almost. . . ashamed. "I'm sorry, jii-chan. It was just. . . so many people were angry with me, I thought it would be useless to tell other people!"

Sarutobi shook his head. "Naruto, why would you think that? You know that I and my ninja can help you, right? We would NEVER abandon you! If you had told us, we could have helped you!" Sarutobi noticed that Naruto looked crestfallen, and so, he said, "Besides, you saw what happened right now. When you came up to talk, everyone looked at you. I'll admit, some of them still have a problem trusting you, but most of them are on your side now. And you will always have your friends, as you yourself said." Naruto was trying to prevent himself from crying, but he failed, and so, he just cried and cried and cried.

Sarutobi managed to calm him down, and said, "Naruto, please, calm down. I know this is hard for you, but please, just tell me what happened." Naruto nodded, sniffling, and said, "Well, that man, Hyuuga Karela. . he saved me from the crowd by dragging me into the forest. He told me that YOU had ordered him to take me somewhere. Well, when he started taking me in the direction of the Hyuuga compound, I became suspicious. I mean, why would you want me taken there? So that they could watch me? Well, anyway, I was suspicious by that point, he said that we should take a rest. I thought that a rest would help me, as I could prepare a plan when I was relaxed, so I agreed, and went to sleep. About 15 minutes later, Hinata came. She wondered what was going on, so, she tried to wake me up. That's when the trouble started."

Naruto gulped. "The man who I was with, Hyuuga Karela, woke up right then. He saw Hinata, and he. . attacked her. I woke up right then. I saw that he had hit Hinata with a Jyuuken strike, and then, I. . I just felt. . . really angry. I don't know how, but this. . . . power. . . rose inside me. I felt it surge through me. It. . . . didn't feel like my regular chakra. It felt more. . . . malevolent. Like it belonged to something evil." Upon hearing these words, the Hokage immediately became serious. ___'The Nine-Tails!'__, _he thought. ___'He unleashed it? No. He said that he only felt power surging through him. So, he presumably didn't release it. But, he tapped into it's power. Has it influenced him? It doesn't seem so, and yet. . . . . ' _Sarutobi felt uneasy. He said, "Naruto. . . . would you mind coming to the hospital tomorrow for a check-up? In light of what has happened recently, I believe you need a more thorough examination." He saw that Naruto was starting to protest, and said, "Wait, wait! You will just have to stay there for an hour or two, and then you can leave. Is that okay with you?"

Naruto looked suspicious, but after some thought, he agreed. "Well. . . . okay. Fine. I'll go." He frowned, and asked, "Are you sure that it will only be up to two hours?" Sarutobi said, "Yes, Naruto." Naruto's face went back to it's usual carefree and happy expression, and he stood up with the Hokage. "Well, Naruto, I have to leave now. I'll see you at the hospital tomorrow then! How about. . . . 10:00 A.M.?", said Sarutobi. "That's fine.", said Naruto. Sarutobi then remembered something, and mentally hit himself. _`Of course! I forgot. . . . . . . tomorrow is the day when they get out in squads! I can't make him miss that! But. . . . . there's no other time slot free at the hospital_` He sighed. `Naruto, I'm sorry, but we can't do it tomorrow. We'll have to fix up some other time. You're going to be put in your squads tomorrow. It would be unfair of me to make you miss that." Naruto looked thrilled. _`Yes!_`, he thought. _`I won't have to go to the hospital after all!_`Sarutobi stood up, and said, `Well, Naruto, it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Goodnight, then!`Naruto said, "Goodnight!", and left.

Naruto was walking home, and felt even more uneasy than when he had talked to Sarutobi. _`I will have to talk to Hinata, and soon.`_, he thought. _`But I don't know when. And what should I say, anyway? What are you are supposed to say to someone after they say "I love you.", anyway?`_ He sighed. _`Aaagh. . . . what am I going to do?` _He had reached his home by now. He crawled into his bed, and went to sleep straight away.

___The next morning. . . . . ._

Naruto woke up. He felt relaxed, and was worried about nothing. That is, until he remembered that he had to talk to Hinata. He groaned. _`What am I going to do?`_, he thought. He got out of bed, and went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He then got some breakfast out of his fridge: old milk and bread. After he finished eating, he changed into his ninja outfit, and was about to head out, when he remembered something. ___'That's right!'_, he thought. ___'It's the day after the ceremony! We get into our squads today! What's the time?' _He looked at his clock, and saw that it was 7:20. His eyes widened, and he flew out the door, slamming it behind him. ___'Damn it, damn it, damn it!'_, he thought. ___'It's already 7:20! We were supposed to meet at 7:25! Darn it!' _He rushed to the Academy, and arrived, sweating and panting. As soon as he walked through the door, he was overwhelmed by the sight and sound.

Inside, he saw that a voluminous amount of people had gathered. He saw all of his friends there. They were clustered in groups. He walked up to the nearest group, and was delighted to see that Neji, Lee, Tenten, and most importantly, Hinata, were all there. "Hello!", he said. He was greeted with a chorus of "Hello!"s. Neji sighed, and began to speak. "Well, everyone, I'd better get going. My team and my sensei will be waiting for me. We were a year ahead of you at the Academy, remember?" He walked off, and everyone said, "Bye!".

Ino then asked, "Well, what are we going to do now? We'll be leaving to be put in our squads pretty soon." Everyone sighed. Right then, they heard Sarutobi's booming voice.

"Good morning, my friends!", he shouted, as every child and parent looked up at him. "Today is a very special day. . . . . it is the day where you can start calling yourself ninja!" Everyone cheered, and he went on, "You will now be put in squadrons. Cherish the people you are put with, as you will be spending most of your ninja career with them! You will get to know them, and in time, you will learn to fight as one! I hope that you will enjoy your new life as the defenders of this village. . . . . . . . Konoha's new ninja!" Everyone cheered, as they were lead away by their Jonin sensei's, whom Sarutobi assigned. **__****(AN: The assigned squads will be the same as in the manga)****.**

"The first squad is. . . . . . . Squad 10! Will Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji, and Nara Shikamaru make their way to the stage please!", shouted Sarutobi. Ino excitedly leapt on to the stage, thinking, ___'No! I'm not with Sasuke-kun! I just had to be put with the fatso and the lazybones of the class!'_Shikamaru lazily walked up to the stage, while thinking, ___'What a bore. This is so troublesome. Choji, I'm fine with, But Ino: I positively swear that she's a banshee! She yells so much! Why did it have to be her of all ____people?' _Choji slowly ambled up to the stage, and thought, ___'Yes! Shikamaru! Ino is probably going to be hard though! I mean, she screamed so much in class! (Sigh) (Munch) (Munch)'_

"Alright!", shouted the Hokage. "Your Jonin sensei is. . . . . . . . . . . Sarutobi Asuma!" A man with short black spiked hair, a typical Jonin outfit, and a white sash with the kanji for "fire" marked on it. "Alright, old man," he said. "I'll take it from here." Turning to his students, he said, "I want you to meet me at the park in about. . . . . . . .5 minutes. I'll expect you there. Don't be late." With that, he leapt off the stage, and jumped away from the area through the trees. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, who were slightly stunned by the man's entrance and exit, walked off the stage, headed for the park.

Sarutobi then cleared his throat, which made everyone look at him. "Alright!", he said. "The next squad will be Squad 8! Will Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata please make their way to the stage!" Kiba rushed up to the stage, and stood there, looking around wildly, in a feral manner. He was wearing a brown shirt and shorts, with very short spiky, black, hair. Shino, unlike Kiba, calmly and coolly walked up to the stage, standing there looking mysterious, in his own quiet manner. He wore a long greenish-brown overcoat, with a hood that nearly obscured his face, black glasses that covered his eyes, and black hair that was almost as spiky as Kiba's. Hinata was the last on to the stage. She was very timid and shy, didn't speak at all, and stood there silently, eyes wide, looking around the crowd. She had dark blue hair, cut short, in a duck-tail, and she was wearing a beige fur jacket, with a fire symbol on one side and the symbol of the Hyuga's on the other side. She caught her father's eye, and cowered slightly, expecting his eyes to be harsh and unforgiving. However, when she looked at him, he was smiling at her, in a gentle way. She was shocked by this at first, but then, she smiled at him in return.

She stopped and turned to face the Hokage when he cleared his throat, loudly, as everyone else did. "Attention everyone! Now that you are here on the stage, I will tell you who is going to be your Jonin sensei. Your sensei will be. . . . . . ." They all looked at him in anticipation. "Yuhi Kurenai!" A woman with long, dark hair and red eyes and pale skin, who was wearing a white wraparound, with black stripes and a red bottom, walked onto the stage. "Okay, guys.", she said, "Follow me." She walked off the stage, and Hinata, Kiba, and Shino followed her.

"Alright!", shouted the Hokage. "The next squad will be. . . . . . Squad 7! Would Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke please make their way to the stage!" Upon hearing the name of the last member, most of the female genin in the crowd groaned. Many of them turned their eyes to Sakura, and were staring daggers at her while she walked up to the stage. Sakura tried not to smirk, but she wasn't able to hold it all in. She smiled, but inside, she was thinking, ___'YES! I'm on a team with Sasuke-kun! Ha! Take that, Ino-Baka! Oh, and Naruto. Who cares about him, anyway? I'm with Sasuke! YIPPEE!' _Sasuke walked up to the stage silently, as cool as ever. Naruto, strangely, did the same thing. Not saying anything, he made his way to the stage. Those who knew him were shocked. Teuchi thought, ___'He's on a team with the girl he had a crush on throughout his years at the Academy, and he does nothing? He's not happy at all! Did something happen to him?' _Naruto, who exuded a gloomy air instead of his normally bright and cheerful self, stood on the stage, gloomily taking the scene in. Sarutobi interrupted his thoughts by shouting, "Okay, now that everyone's here, I'll announce your Jonin sensei!" He paused. "Your sensei will be. . . . . . . .Hatake Kakashi!" A man with long, spiky silver hair, who was wearing a regular Jonin outfit, with a mask covering the lower half of his face, and his headband slanted so that it covered his left eye, jumped onto the stage. He said to Naruto and the others, "Okay. Follow me. We're going to be talking for a bit." He led them away from the stadium, as Naruto saw the Hokage calling the names of the next squad. He walked without really knowing where he was going, and when they arrived at their destination, a balcony on a building, he was surprised.

Kakashi sat down on one of the green benches, and said, "Right. First, we're going to get to know each other. I'll start, so that you can have an example of what you have to do." He stopped momentarily, then said, "My name is Hatake Kakashi, as you already know. I. . . really don't want to tell you what my likes and dislikes are.I don't really know about my dreams for the future. And. . . yeah I have lots of hobbies." He then said, "Well, you see, you say that. First, your name (obviously), then, your likes and dislikes, your dream for the future, and finally, your hobbies. Okay, who wants to go first?" He spotted the lethargic-looking Sasuke, and said, "Alright. You, in the black. Since you look so enthusiastic, let's have it." Sasuke sighed, still looking cool, and said, "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I dislike lots of things, but I don't really have any likes. I don't really have a dream: I have an ambition." He paused, and said, "My ambition is to resurrect my clan, and. . . . . . . to kill. . . . . a certain person." Sakura looked impressed with this, almost thrilled, while Naruto pouted. Kakashi then turned to Sakura. "Alright, Sakura, your turn." Sakura, who had been staring at Sasuke dreamily, gave a start, turned around, and said, "R-right, sensei. My name is Haruno Sakura. The person. . . I-I mean thing," she said hastily, "I like is . . . . well, nothing. My dream for the future is. . . ahh, nothing. As for hobbies. . . I-I don't know. " Kakashi looked at her for a while, wearing a bored expression that plainly said, "Of course." He then turned to Naruto, and asked him "Okay, you're last. Go ahead." Naruto, who was lively and vivacious as usual, said, "Alright! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like cup ramen, but I LOVE the ramen that Iruka-sensei buys for me from Ichiraku's! I dislike waiting for the ramen to cook. My dream for the future. . . . IS TO SURPASS THE HOKAGE AND BECOME THE NEXT HOKAGE, SO THAT THE VILLAGE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE MY EXISTENCE! My hobbies. . . . . . well, I guess that they'd be pranks."

Kakashi thought, ___'Quite an interesting group we have here. A genius, a loudmouth, and an enthusiast. Well let's see what I can make of this team'_To his team, he said, "Well, everyone, now that we're introduced, you can go back to your homes. We will meet in Training Ground 7 tomorrow, and then. . . . .we'll see what you're made of." Sakura gulped, while Naruto looked excited, and Sasuke just looked as bored as ever. Kakashi left, jumping away, and Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke split up, each headed home.

Naruto headed home, thinking, ___This has been an exciting day. I bet things are going to get even more exciting tomorrow! __Oh yeah, Kakashi sensei said not to eat anything for breakfast tomorrow when he left. Oh well. I guess I starve in the morning.'_ He had reached his home. He went inside, and after having milk and cookies and brushing his teeth, he went to sleep. He anticipated tomorrow with eagerness.

******Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading this! I hope you liked it! Anyways, I hope you like the story. I am trying to stay as true as I can to the story, while still maintaining the element of "fan" in it, since this is a **_****__**fan**_******fiction, after all! Please read and review, and I hope you have a good day! Oh, before I forget. . . . . . HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I swear that the next chapter WILL be uploaded in at most two ********weeks from this one. I hope you like Naruto's growth, too. Anyways, see you next time, on **_******Rise To The Top!**_


	8. Nah, Couldn't Be

**__****'Ello! 'Ow are you? (Sorry, felt like doing that) Anyways, I 'ope you enjoyed the last chapter, and I 'ope that you like this one! P.S.: This chapter has my first fight scene. Please tell me what you think of it! Thanks!**

**__****DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! I OWN NOTHING RELATED TO NARUTO! EVERYTHING RELATED TO NARUTO BELONGS TO MASASHI KISHIMOTO! THE EVENTS IN THIS STORY ARE NOT WHAT HAPPENED IN NARUTO! THE EVENTS OF NARUTO, AS STATED ABOVE, ARE CREATED BY MASASHI KISHIMOTO! ANY JUTSU I USE ARE CREATED BY MASASHI KISHIMOTO, UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFICALLY STATED BY ME!**

**__****Nah, Couldn't Be. . . . . . .**

As Naruto woke up, he anticipated the day with eagerness. He didn't quite know what a "bell test" was, but, he was sure that he could pass it with ease. He was the Rookie Of The Year, wasn't he? He got ready to go, and had a quick breakfast, rushing out the door about ten minutes after he ate. He was running blindly towards the training ground Kakashi had told them to be at, Training Ground 7. Suddenly, he ran headfirst into someone, and fell to the ground heavily. Brushing himself off, he got up, and extended a hand to the person. As the person got up, he was surprised to see that it was Hinata who he had bumped into. He blushed, and helped her up.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I wasn't looking where I was going." Hinata had stood up, and was brushing herself off, looking at the ground. "Oh, that's quite alright. I wasn't looking where I was going, either." She looked up, and when she saw that it was Naruto whom she had bumped into, her face turned red. "So, where are you headed now, Naruto?" Naruto said, "Well, our sensei, Kakashi-sensei, said that we were having something called a "bell test" today. He said that it would be very difficult. Heh. I don't think that it will be that difficult." Hinata smiled. "You're really so confident, Naruto?"

Mentally, she sighed. _'Naruto,'_, she thought. _'You're so confident about everything. Everything seems so. . . . . so. . . straightforward to you. I wish I could be more like you.' _She was brought back to the real world when she heard Naruto's voice calling, "Well, see you later!" She looked around to see him running towards his training ground. She smiled, and started walking towards the place her sensei had told them to meet, Training Ground 8. _'But then. . . . . . that's what I'm striving for, isn't it?'_ She walked off, headed for her squad's training area.

___At Training Ground 7. . . . . . . ._

Naruto arrived just barely in time. However, he only saw Sasuke and Sakura there. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. He walked up to them, saying, "Hey! Where's Kakashi-sensei? He's late!" Sakura whirled around with an annoyed look on her face. "Well, obviously he's late, baka! You really are dumb, aren't you, Naruto?" Naruto, who looked hurt and indignant, said, "Well, excuse me! I was just asking, in case one of you guys knew!" Sasuke sighed. "Okay guys, stop bickering."

Just then, Kakashi arrived in a swirl of leaves, and they all turned to look at him, Naruto and Sakura with comically angry expressions, and Sasuke looking bored as ever. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!", shouted Sakura. "WHERE WERE YOU? YOU WERE LATE!" Kakashi smiled sheepishly, and it looked like he was squinting. He scratched his head, and said, "Sorry about that. You see, I had to help an old lady with her shopping on the way here, and I. . .uh . . . lost track of time." Sakura had tick marks on her face, and clenched her fist. She swung at Kakashi, and had a frighteningly angry expression, with her eyes wide. She punched hard, expecting to hit Kakashi, and was surprised when her punch kept on going. She opened her eyes, and saw that Kakashi had disappeared.

She blinked in surprise, and was startled when she heard Kakashi's voice behind them calmly saying, "Now, now, Sakura. Watch your temper." She turned around quickly, and was astonished to see Kakashi standing behind them, looking serious. Naruto had a flabbergasted expression on his face, and he couldn't believe what had just happened. Pointing a finger at Kakashi, he said, "Y-you j-just. . . . . .HOW THE HECK DID YOU SNEAK UP LIKE THAT?" Sakura and Sasuke, both of whom had covered their ears, saw Kakashi removing earplugs from his ears. He scathingly replied, "Well, I'm a ninja, you see. Unlike you, squirt." Naruto, who was shocked, recovered and angrily said, "What! Okay then, I'll fight you!"

He dived at Kakashi, who calmly stepped out of the path of Naruto's dive. Naruto hit the ground, hard, then rolled and charged at Kakashi at full speed. He was surprised when he saw Sasuke dart in front of him, grabbing his hand. "Oi, teme! What the heck are you doing!" Sasuke, who didn't respond, simply kicked Naruto in the stomach and aloofly stood, watching Naruto double over in pain. "Oi, dobe.", he said. "First rule: NEVER attack a teacher. There's a reason why they're Jonin, and we're just Genin, you know."

Kakashi watched the exchange with some asperity, eventually separating Naruto and Sasuke, "Alright, that's enough you two. Come on now." He glanced at Naruto. "But in future, you should be more careful. What Sasuke said was true, you know. Glancing at his watch, he said, "Well, I'm not getting a good impression from you guys. On the first day, you managed to waste 10 minutes of valuable time so quickly. In the field, that would kill you. My final analysis: I don't like you guys."

Sasuke and Sakura, who were angry because of this comment, glared at Naruto, who stuck his nose in the air and ignored them. Motioning to a grassy knoll ahead, he said, "Well, now that Naruto has botched my plans for my introduction, let's get straight down to business." They walked to the knoll, Naruto with a grumpy expression on his face. Once they got closer, they could see two wooden stumps. There were ropes encircling them. They wondered what these were for. They were to find out soon.

Leading them to the knoll, Kakashi told them to sit down. "Well now, what we're going to do today has been a tradition for a long time. We are going to evaluate you with the bell test." Dangling from his finger were two bells on a red string. "The objective of this test is to see who is the best ninja among you. Those who pass this test, will move on. Those who fail: will go back to the Academy and relearn everything!"

"WHAT!", shouted Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura, "Would we really get sent back to the Academy? To relearn everything? Doesn't that seem a bit unfair?" Kakashi turned to face her, and said, "Well,_Miss Haruno_, (Sakura cringed when she heard the name) you should have learned by now: life is NOT fair." Sasuke looked bored, but his eyes told how he was really feeling. He was shocked by the news, too, but he didn't show it. He wasn't as emotionally outgoing as Naruto. "Well, lets get to it."

Kakashi stood up, and so did Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. "Here are the rules: You have to get these bells by the end of the day. As I said earlier, if you don't get these bells by then: you will all go back to the Academy!` Naruto He swallowed, but determined that he wouldn't go back to the Academy, he charged at Kakashi once more. Kakashi (of course) stepped out of his way, then tied him up. He had turned his back on Sakura and Sasuke while doing this, and when he turned around, he wasn't surprised to see that they had disappeared. He was surprised when he saw that Naruto had disappeared, and there was a cloud of smoke in his place.

_`What!`_, thought Kakashi. _`Where did he learn that! That was a dangerous jutsu! Where the heck did he learn the Shadow Clone jutsu!` _He looked around, and clearly saw Sakura, plotting something, obviously. However, Naruto and Sasuke were nowhere in sight. _`Well, Naruto obviously has some hidden depths. I wonder what he and Sasuke are up to right now.`_ As if on cue, Kakashi heard sound behind him, and turned around to see a log swinging at him. He jumped out of the way, and the log disappeared, to be replaced with Naruto's form. Naruto was close to Kakashi, so he lunged, nearly managing to grab one of the bells. He just missed when Kakashi jumped out of the way. Kakashi punched Naruto, and was not surprised when he, too, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_`He's playing it safe,`_, thought Kakashi. _`He's smarter than I gave him credit for.`_ He was distracted by his thoughts, and didn't notice a fireball zooming at his head until he felt its heat. _`Damn! I was so stupid! I forgot about Sasuke!` _He narrowly escaped the fireball, and was breathing a sigh of relief, when he stepped into a simple rope trap, and was pulled into the air, dangling from a tree by his feet. _`Aaargh! How come I'm being so stupid today? Sakura! She hid back and set this trap! Admittedly, its not hard to get out of,`_, he thought, as he got out of the trap, _`But the fact that she had the foresight to do this. . . . .They're definitely working as a team.` _He smiled. _`That's the whole point of this exercise, isn't it?`_

He was perfectly right. Deep in the forest, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke met in a secluded corner of the forest. "Our plan worked!", whispered Naruto excitedly. "Of course it did, Naruto.", said Sakura condescendingly. "Sasuke and I planned the whole thing. _You _just had to help us execute the plan." Sasuke, surprisingly, came to Naruto`s defence "Well, he did come up with the idea of the shadow clones. Anyways, his jutsu were useful."

Sakura gazed at Sasuke in an adoring way, _`Ah, Sasuke-kun. You're SO kind to others. Ah. . . .` _Sasuke said, "Well, what now? We have to come up with another plan. We didn't get any of the bells that time. We need a different strategy." "I know!", whispered Naruto. "What if you guys transformed into me, then charged Kakashi sensei? He would probably think that it was me, so he would just try to dodge me, like before! Then, you guys could jump him and steal the bells!" Sasuke said, "Well, that's not such a bad idea." Sakura didn't like that it was Naruto`s idea, but, since it was the best one that they had had so far, she would have to go with it.

Suddenly, Sasuke thought of something. "Hey, guys!", he whispered. "What about this?" He whispered the plan to them, and as Naruto and Sakura heard more, they smiled, liking the plan. "So, is it settled then?", asked Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura nodded. "Alright, you know what to do.", murmured Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura disappeared with a shunshin, getting into position. Sasuke stared at the place where he thought Kakashi was, thinking, "I hope this plan will work. Maybe it will. But, after all, he's a Jonin. Well, we'll see . . . . . . . . "

Kakashi raised an eyebrow when they didn't appear for some time. "What could they be planning now?", he wondered. His thoughts were answered when he saw 3 Naruto's charging at him. _'Not again!'_, he thought. _'Even Naruto wouldn't be that stupid. He knows that it won't work! What's he planning? We'll see." _He jumped over the clones, kicking 2 of them in the back. To his surprise, instead of disappearing entirely, he heard and saw the puff of white smoke, out of which Sasuke and Sakura appeared.

_'Well, I see that they've gotten smarter!'_, he thought, To them, he said, "Well, you guys are getting smarter! Good teamwork! However, your plan is now obvious:" As he said that, he turned around, and punched the unaware Naruto, who was trying to sneak up on him. Feeling confident, he turned to face Naruto, saying, "Well, this is slightly better than before. But if this is the best you have." he said as he swung at Naruto, "Count yourselves out!" To his surprise, Naruto disappeared when he punched him. '_What the?'_, he thought. Just then, he heard a noise behind him, and saw several feet of ninja wire with kunais attached coming at him.

He was too surprised to react, so he dove out of the way, activating his Sharingan. _'Damn!'_, he thought. _'These kids are too good! I severely underestimated them! They even forced me to reveal my Sharingan!'_ Just then, he saw Sasuke run at him. He dodged, panting heavily, and saw Sasuke dash by him at speeds that he thought were impossible for a Genin. Not as fast as a regular Jonin, but definitely faster than the average Genin. He dodged, thinking that he had escaped. However, he turned his eyes to Naruto and Sakura, and was surprised to see Sasuke there, dangling the bells from his finger, with a smirk on his face. Startled, he blurted, "Okay, spill it. How did you get the bells? No, wait, let me guess."

He turned his gaze to Sakura. "Those kunais. . . . . . . those were a genjutsu, weren't they? Amazingly good, for a Genin." Sakura blushed at the praise. _'No Genin I have seen before could perform genjutsu to that level. I, a Jonin, one of the best ninja of this village, was fooled by a __**Genin's**__ genjutsu!'_ Looking at Naruto, he said, "And you, Naruto. . . . I thought that you hadn't learned from your earlier mistakes. That was my mistake. You are shrewd to a degree as well. Those Shadow Clones fooled me: I thought that Sasuke and Sakura would cover so that you could perform Shadow Clones: that was stupid of me." Naruto smirked, glancing at Sasuke slightly, as if gloating. "And finally: Sasuke", said Kakashi. "You have great proficiency as a ninja. You were able to steal both bells from me without a hitch."

Looking at all three of them, he said, "However, all of you could improve." Looking at Sakura, he said, "Sakura, you have great proficiency with genjutsu and traps. However, your ninjutsu and taijutsu need work. Your fighting style currently incorporates neither of those. You need to assist your teammates, Naruto and Sasuke, more than you do now. Right now, you're just sitting back and letting them do all of the work."

Turning to Naruto, he said, "Naruto, your fighting style is good: unpredictability is your greatest weapon. However, you appear to be overusing your shadow clone jutsu. You shouldn't become dependent on that. You need to broaden your range of jutsu. Also, you usually blindly charge in. You are capable of highly developed planning, as you demonstrated with this attack. I overheard part of your strategy talk with your team and let me admit, I was impressed. However, don't let that go to your head. However, when you do blindly charge in, you almost always get stopped. You cannot, in fact, **must not** keep charging in like that. Your enemies will come to expect that, like your overuse of the Shadow Clone, which is your signature jutsu. They will use this overuse of your jutsu to plan accordingly, and you will be vulnerable."

Looking at Sasuke, he said, "Sasuke, you are quite good all-around. However, your greatest weakness is your lack of teamwork. You need to learn to trust in and depend upon your teammates, rather than shunning them and working on your own."

Facing them all once more, he said, "However, I was very impressed with your teamwork. You all worked together efficiently, aiming for a common goal. None of you "split off" from the team: you worked together to achieve your goal. That was the point of this exercise." Glancing at Sasuke, he said, "I can see that Sasuke already figured this out, judging by the smirk on his face. The aim of this lesson was to teach you teamwork. If you had failed, however, you really would have been sent back to the Academy."

Narutos' and Sakuras' jaws' both dropped, and Sasuke raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Anyways, the three of you passed, so congratulations! You may go home now. We will meet here tomorrow, and then, you will be starting your first D-Rank missions. You are all dismissed."

Kakashi disappeared with a Body Flicker, leaving Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto to their own devices. _'Funny'_, thought Kakashi. _'I don't know why, but. . . . . . .Naruto. . . . .looked an awful lot like Sensei. I wonder. . . . .is there some connection?'_ He shook his head, and thought, _`Nah, couldn`t be. . . . . . . . . .`_ He shook his head to clear his mind, then headed for the bookstore, whistling. _`Let`s see if a new Icha-Icha book is in!_`, he thought, with a perverted grin on his face. He headed for the bookstore, leave Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke at the Training Ground.

Sasuke said, "Well, I'm going home. See you guys.", and started walking home. Sakura said, "Wait, Sasuke! I'm coming with you!", and dashed off to join him, clinging to his arm when she caught up to him, only to be pushed away by Sasuke. Naruto was left behind, and silently began walking away from Sakura and Sasuke, going to his home. On the way, he saw that Ichirakus' was still open, so he ducked in.

"Hello Teuchi-san, Ayame-san!", he said. They smiled, and Ayame said, "Good morning, Naruto. What can we do for you today? The usual?" Naruto, with a cheesy grin on his face, said, "Yup! 10 bowls of miso ramen please!"

Teuchi said, "Well, Naruto, how does it feel to be a ninja? Exciting, eh?" Teuchi reminisced, "I wanted to be a ninja. But, for one thing, I wasn't fit enough. For another, I skipped the ninja parts of school so many times, I didn't know the slightest thing about being a ninja. I learned later though, about the price ninja pay." Naruto gulped.

Teuchi hastily said, "But then, many ninja go on to become great people. Strong people. You want to become that, right?" Naruto nodded. "Well, then, keep working hard, and you'll get there." Naruto brightened, saying, "Thanks, jii-san!" **(AN: Not exactly sure what Naruto calls Teuchi, the old man at the ramen shop). **Naruto rushed out of the shop, running home. When he reached there, he changed, ate some miso ramen, and went to sleep.

___The next day. . . . ._

Naruto woke up, yawning, and went through the usual. When he had finished, he started walking to the Hokage's office, where Kakashi had told Team 7 to meet. They would be performing their first mission. He excitedly wondered what it could be. As he walked, he noticed that something odd was happening. A. . . . grey piece of concrete, it seemed was scurrying towards him. When he turned around, it would stop. He did this several times, and each time, the "concrete" would stop, then continue when he wasn't looking. After several minutes, he tired of it, and waited until the "block" got close to him. He jumped on the "concrete". which squirmed and wriggled, "fighting" him.

He eventually managed to pull the disguise off, and saw three children: a girl with orange hair, arranged in a sort of inverted triangle, a boy with glasses and a dripping nose, and another boy with a blue scarf, pointed black hair, a yellow shirt, and a grey pair of pants and a helmet. "Alright, you three," said Naruto in a loud voice. "First thing: it was so obvious you were following me. If you want to be ninja, you have to be a little more. . . . . subtle. Secondly, you were making so much noise. You should have **at least** _**tried**_ to be quiet! Lastly, I was expecting you: you do this so often nowadays, it's become a habit for me to check for you. "Besides," he added, "shouldn't you be at school now? It's . . . . . . already . . . . . . 5 minutes past 8:30 A.M. Classes at the Academy start then, don't they?"

Konohamaru panicked, saying, "Dang! You're right, boss!" Udon whimpered, "We're going to be in SO much trouble! We're so late!" Moegi, in a huff, ran off to the Academy, while shouting, "C'mon, you idiots! Don't just stand there! We have to run, before Iruka-sensei notices we're missing!"

Naruto scratched his head as the trio dashed off, "Well, I hope they make it. That reminds me, what time were we supposed to meet at?", he said, looking at his watch. "DAAMMITT!", he started running, bringing his legs up, almost as if he was jogging on the spot, running at normally impossible speeds. "Kakashi-sensei told us to meet TWENTY MINUTES ago! I'm so late!" After running for what seemed to him to be several miles, he saw their meeting place in the distance, and stood up straight, trying to rid himself of his momentum. He skidded to a stop right in front of Sasuke and Sakura, who were both looking at him in an annoyed fashion.

Sakura looked at him expectantly, "Well, Naruto-baka, you FINALLY made it here! Did you see Kakashi-sensei on the way?|" Naruto, who noticed the menacing look on Sakura's face, said, "Uh-uh . . . well, I . . . . . uhm . . . . . didn't see him." He cringed as Sakura exploded as he had expected. "WHAT? KAKASHI-SENSEI! HE'S SO LATE! IF HE DOESN'T GET HERE IN 10 SECONDS. . . . . . . . . I'M GOING TO FIND HIM, AND PUNCH HIM SO HARD THAT HE'LL **FLY **INTO THE FOREST!"

She jumped, startled, when Kakashi's voice came from behind them, "Well, Sakura, first off, I doubt that even you could punch that hard. Second, I'm a Jonin. I don't think that I would let myself get hit that easily. Finally, if I did get hit (which is a less than 10% possibility), I would be able to recover. Also, do you really think that you would still be able to walk around freely doing whatever you want to do as a ninja after that?" Sakura looked down, "Well, it was just to express what I was feeling. I didn't really mean it." Kakashi replied, "Well, anyway, we have to perform our first mission today. I look forward to seeing how you work in the field."

Naruto pumped his fist in the air, and pranced around, chanting, "YES! We finally got a mission! We finally got a mission! We finally got a mission! We finally got a mission! We finally-OOMPH!" Naruto doubled over in pain, involuntary tears streaming from his eyes. He looked up to see Sasuke standing over him. He gritted out, "Oi, teme, what did you do that for?" Sasuke said in a bored manner, "Dobe, we don't need you prancing around. Besides, it's probably going to be some small mission, which won't be so exciting." Naruto shouted, "Bah! You always ruin the fun! Isn't that right, Sakura?" Sakura smiled in a mean manner, "Of course not, Naruto. Sasuke is always right, you know. Nothing you EVER do could match what HE does!" Naruto lowered his head in shame.

Kakashi watched the exchange with a little caution. "Alright, you two, break it up." He pushed Sasuke away from Naruto, and helped Naruto stand up. Turning to Sakura, he said, "And Sakura, you must learn to appreciate your team mates. When I say that, I mean **both** of them, not just Sasuke. Do you understand?" Lowering her head, Sakura muttered, "Yes, Kakashi-sensei." Broadly smiling his closed-eye smile, Kakashi said, "Good! Now then, let's head for the Hokage's office." And they walked off, all but Kakashi unaware that they were watched by a pair of ANBU ninja.

One of them, a woman with purple hair, stood up. "Well, that was interesting. This. . . . . Uzumaki . . . .boy could be interesting after all." Her partner, a man with black hair, said, "I agree. He doesn't look like it, but . . . . ." He broke off. "I don't know how to explain it," he started, "But. . . . .that boy . . . . just gives me this feeling . . . .of hope. It's like . . . . .he's going to be the one to change . . .well . . the world!" The woman looked at him sharply, "|What, you actually believe in that prediction made by the oldest toad on Mount Myokobokuzan? That one of Jiraiya's pupils will be the saviour of this world?"

The man turned serious, and said, "Yes. I do. I believe that he will be the one who will hold the power to either bring peace to the world, or destroy it utterly. Our fate will rest in his hands." The woman smiled. "Very trusting, aren't you?", she murmured. The noise of a shunshin came from behind them. Without turning around, the woman said, "What is it? Are we needed?"

Looking up at them, the messenger, a young male ANBU, said, "Yes, ma'am. The Hokage requests the presence of all ANBU and ROOT at a secret meeting, to be held at the Hokage's meeting room in a secure room." The man was surprised, "What? A secret meeting? Now? Why?" Shaking his head, he answered, "Alright. We'll be there." The messenger nodded, and disappeared, presumably looking for more ANBU and ROOT ninja to alert.

The woman turned to face the man, "A secret meeting? What do you think is going on?" The man shook his head. "I don't know. Anyways, we should go. Be on your guard. I don't trust Danzo and his ROOT at all." The woman nodded, and was about to leave, when she removed her mask, smiling. The man noticed this, and said, "What? Oh, no. No. You really want to. .. .. .? Right now?" The woman shook her head, and the man sighed with relief. He held out his hand to her, which she took gladly. Before they left, he said, "I swear, you're an addict. You're addicted to . . . . . natural pleasures. . . . .too much. I mean, really. Anyways, **after** the meeting, ok?" The woman nodded her head once more. "Sure, Hayate.". she said. They then disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

___At the meeting . . . . . . ._

The Hokage presided over the meeting. He addressed the congregation with a grave face. "Everyone, I have gathered you here today because of some new information that has come to light. Jiraiya has found a scroll which seems to prove something . . . . .extraordinary. He has shared the information with me already. I have decided to discuss the matter, as it concerns one of our up-and-coming young shinobi, as well as two of our oldest clans, which were some of the most famous clans in history.. Jiraiya, please tell them what you have found."

Jiraiya came to the front of the stage, and spoke, "This scroll, which I found in the Namikaze clan's compound, formerly belonging to the 4th Hokage, describes a thing which seems impossible. It apparently contains information about: the Fourth's _heir_." Gasps were heard all around the hall, as shinobi shook their heads in disbelief. "The Fourth's _heir_?", they wondered. Sarutobi saw a figure stand up at the back of the room, behind the Council's table. Grinding his teeth, Sarutobi said, "Yes, Danzo?"

Danzo, a man with a bandage around most of the right side of his face, and white robes, was impassive as he asked, "Sarutobi, are you sure about this? Where is your proof?" Inwardly, he thought, _' The fourth left an __**heir**__? This could be useful, or debilitating. I need to find out who it is, and if I can use them to accomplish my goal._ _If not, I could always take them into ROOT for . . . . . training. That is, if they can prove it. I doubt that they'll be able to. Jiraiya is a huge buffoon, and Sarutobi is too trusting of him.'_

Sarutobi smiled, and turned to Jiraiya, who was also smiling. "You think that I wouldn't know what my own student's handwriting looked like?", he asked. Danzo was fuming inwardly, as he thought, _' They have proof! Well, let's see who it is. Wait a minute . . . . . . . . yes. I can do that . . . . . . .' _

Danzo spoke, "Even so, Sarutobi, Jiraiya was the one who claims to have found the scroll. Therefore, we should not rely solely on his proof. We cannot rely on yours, either, as you are clearly are in favour of this motion, and so, I do not believe that you can be objective. So, unless you can provide someone who can give objective proof that it is the Fourth's handwriting, I am afraid. . . .. " "Just a minute!", came a shout.

Everyone was surprised to see the Sannin Tsunade standing in the doorway. Speaking to Sarutobi with a smirk on her face, she said, "What? You forgot to tell me that there was a council meeting? And a top-secret one at that?" Sarutobi was taken aback. "Tsunade!", he said, surprised. "I am sorry. I wasn't expecting you to come to this meeting. I was unaware that you were in the village. Please, accept my most humble apologies. Tsunade, when did you arrive in the village?"

"About five minutes ago," she replied. "I had just got back, and was going to your office to see you. I found that you weren't there, and when your secretary saw me, she said that you had called a top-secret meeting for the village council. Of course, I assumed that you would have asked me to attend if I had been in Konoha. So, I came here."

Sarutobi said, "Well take a seat." He graciously gave up his spot, insisting that Tsunade sit there. Once everyone had settled down, he said, "Well, before Tsunade's arrival interrupted us, we were debating about whether we had proof as to the legitimacy of this document." He held up the document which apparently contained the information about the Fourth's supposed heir. "I will ask Tsunade to verify its' legitimacy. After all, she knew the Fourth, did she not? She is an objective witness, not knowing anything about this scroll until now. So, if she confirms that it is indeed the Fourth's handwriting, we can proceed."

Tsunade was confused, and asked Sarutobi, "Wait! Minato's _heir_? You want me to verify it's legitimacy? I mean the documents'? Hmmm. Okay. Let's see."

She grabbed the document from Sarutobi, and after reading and rereading it for several minutes, she stood up. "Council," she said, addressing the members in the room. "In my opinion, this document is legitimate. I have read it over several times, confirming that it is indeed Minato's handwriting. I have proof of my acquaintance with Minato. Here."

She handed Danzo several photographs, who passed them among the council members. Those pictures were all taken by. . .. . Never mind." She took a breath, and continued, "Anyways, being an independent, objective witness, I confirm that the handwriting is consistent with the handwriting of the Fourth Hokage, otherwise known as . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minato Namikaze."

People were stunned by this. There had been no doubt in their minds that it would prove to be false: the Fourth Hokage had not, _**could not have**_ left an heir! Could he? Danzo said, "Alright, even if it is the Fourth's writing, what does it say? Tsunade stood up in response, took a breath, and started reading:

___To: Jiraiya-sensei_

___Sensei,_

___As you know, the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village the day of my son's birth. Unfortunately, I was forced to seal the demon into my son. _(People's eyes widened, realizing that if the fourth had sealed the demon into his son, then his son must have been. . . . . ) ___I am sorry that I have had to do this. But, there was no other choice at the time. Anyways, I know that Naruto _(People stood up in their chairs, stunned) ___will live a harsh life, being discriminated against by the villagers and ninja. However, I have provided him with a tool, which he may use, if he wishes to do so. He will gain access to this tool when he reaches the age of majority: I have incorporated this into his seal. This tool will enable him to control the Nine-Tailed Demon's power. . It should help him to, colloquially speaking, "rise to the top", and live a better life. _

_______I have also included proof of his parentage. You will find enclosed in this envelope a birth certificate, the proof of his birth, which declares that_ I, Namikaze Minato, and my wife, Uzumaki Kushina, (gasps were heard at this name), ___were the parents of Uzumaki Naruto. This should be a suitable proof, which should resolve any conflicts about his parentage. I hope that this will enable Naruto to live a better life._

___Minato Namikaze_

Tsunade stopped, and looked at the Council. Some of them were half-standing with their mouths wide open. They were in disbelief. Eventually, Danzo sat down, composed himself, and said, "Huhhh. Well, you have irrefutable proof. I suppose. . . . . . .that means that it is true. But, what shall we do about it? Shall we tell Uzumaki Naruto about his true parentage?" Sarutobi shook his head. "No", he said simply. "We cannot tell him . . .. . .yet. However, we should tell him of his true parentage before the Chunin exams."

Kakashi spoke up, "Sir, I don't believe that Naruto will be ready to hear this by that time. I suggest announcing it at the Chunin Exams. If people hear about his true parentage, the village will benefit. However, what is most important here is Naruto's wishes. I believe that we should tell him about his parentage in private before the Chunin Exams. We can reveal his parentage to the general public and others at the Chunin Exams after we have told him. Of course, we will need his consent first."

Sarutobi agreed. "That sounds good. Yes. I think that is what we shall do. All in favour of telling Naruto about his parentage privately, and revealing it to the general public at the Chunin Exams?" Several hands were raised. Only a few members of the Council did not agree with the motion. Sarutobi smiled. "Then, it is agreed that we shall carry out this plan of action? Good."

Danzo was grinding his teeth. _'A Namikaze!',_ he thought. _'I need to get my hands on him! The last of the Namikazes died a long time ago. If it is true that his mother was Uzumaki Kushina, then he may also have the Uzumaki blood! A person with both __Namikaze and Uzumaki blood is unheard of! Such a person would be incredibly powerful, perhaps even on par with a tailed beasts' power! The Uzumaki clan were also purported to have the __**Rinnegan**__. It can't be possible, though. The Rinnegan is just a myth. . . . . .but since he may have the blood of the Uzumaki clan, he could theoretically posess the Rinnegan! If such a thing exists. . . . . .imagine the power I would have if I could control it! And the Namikaze clan. . . . . . nobody knows much about them. If I could get Naruto. . . . . .I could find out their secrets, and see if I can use them to my advantage! It is settled. I know what I must do, and soon. I MUST GET MY HANDS ON UZUMAKI NARUTO!' _

He came out of thought, and heard Sarutobi say, "Well, that's all. Remember, this meeting is to be considered an S-Rank secret. It never happened. If anyone asks you what happened, just tell them that we were discussing a new security plan for the village, and for security reasons, we cannot disclose any information. You are all dismissed." Ninjas began to talk among themselves about what they had discovered here today, and they gradually filtered out the door.

Danzo was thinking, _'The Chunin Exams. Yes. That's the perfect time. . . . . to try to bring Naruto to **my** side!'_

**__****Well, I'm sorry, but I felt like leaving it right there. I hope you liked this chapter! If you have any ideas about how they could reveal his name at the Exams, I've left it open. Please send me your ideas in a PM or review! I accept anonymous reviews, so you can review even if you don't have an account! Thank you, and see you next time!**


	9. C Rank Mission: Awesome!

**I'm sorry for not updating for so long! A combination of laziness and writers' block kept me from the site for months, but I am now officially back in business! I hope to be able to release the new chapter in two weeks! Thanks for sticking with the story! **

**_Our First (REAL!) Mission!_**

Naruto left his house as usual, yawning. Team 7 had finished several missions lately, so he hadn't had much time to rest._ 'It was one mission after another, though it was frustrating because they were only stupid d-rank missions!'_, he thought.! Naruto felt that he could do something more. . . . . .challenging. Walking with his head down, he (surprisingly) attracted no attention from the villagers, eventually arriving at his team;s meeting place, outside the Hokage tower. Today it seemed like he was the first there. _'Huh. __Usually, I'm the last to arrive. Ha-ha! Sasuke and Sakura are late!_ And, of couse, he was **MUCH** He decided that he would wait there for them.

Eventually, he spotted his team mates in the distance. Screwing up his eyes and pouting, he waited until they arrived, only to spring at them shouting., "HEY! YOU'RE LATE! HA-HA, I'M HERE BEFORE YOU! HA-HA!" "Oh, shut up, Naruto," said Sakura wearily. "You must be as tired as we are. Shouting is no way to help a person with a headache. And besides, Naruto, if you say one more word, I'm going to punch you so hard that what I did to you at the ramen stand yesterday will seem like nothing.

Naruto gulped. He remembered that incident vividly. He had been eating at the ramen stand when Sakura walked past. Of course, being infatuated with her, he tried to ask her out on a date. It backfired on him as usual, and he was lucky to not end up in the hospital's intensive care ward. Still, he had had to go to the hospital for a checkup, just in case.. When he got out a couple of days later, he was terrified of Sakura, and avoided her at all costs. Ever since that day, he was very careful to stay on Sakura's good side.

Sasuke and Sakura sat down heavily. They were both sweating profusely, and Sasuke was panting, as if he had run a marathon. Naruto, who felt that it would be pointless talking, sat down, and decided that he would wait for Kakashi, as they did most mornings. They had learned that they would NEVER manage to make him come on time. After several minutes of waiting, Naruto stood up. "Alright!", he declared. "I'm not going to wait around any longer, waiting for Kakashi-sensei to arrive! I'm going to go find him! Who's with me?" He was about to leave when he heard Kakashi's voice say, "But I'm right here! Why would you want to find me if I'm here?"

Naruto jumped, not having noticed Kak ashi sneak up on him, unlike Sakura and Sasuke. He turned around slowly, and saw Kakashi standing there, looking bored. Kakashi said, "Well, if you're done chatting, let's get going, We have to see the Hokage about a mission." Naruto squinted his eyes, glaring at Kakashi, and asked, "Kakashi-sensei. . . . . . . . . . . .. do you mean a REAL mission, or are you talking about the same boring D-Rank stuff again? I want a real mission, not something that some **kid** from the **Academy** could do! Come on Kakashi-sensei, you know that we're ready!"

Kakashi sighed and rolled his eyes, staring upwards as if in pleading. Naruto had been asking for tougher missions since Day 2, and Kakashi had tried to make the missions harder, choosing ones that Chunins regularly did, which were slightly more difficult.. However, Team 7 had proved equal to that, and Kakashi was running out of ideas. He didn't know what to do.

He considered giving them a C-Rank mission. _'After all, they had done hard D-Ranks, right? They should be equal to the task of a low C-Rank mission.' _Doubt struck him, suddenly. _'These are just **kids**, after all. What if. . . . . what if the mission was too hard for them? Then. . . .they might get severely hurt, or. . . or even killed! No way am I going to risk their lives like that. Not after Obito. . . . . . . . .. . ' _He looked at Naruto, expectantly staring at him. Suddenly, he seemed to see the face of his sensei looking back at him. _'Sensei, what would you have done?'_ Suddenly, all doubt was erased from his mind. _'You would have let them prove themselves, and saved them if they weren't able. I know you would have. Sensei, I will try to do as you did.'_

Turning to Naruto, he said, "Alright, Naruto. I'll let you guys do a C-Rank **_(Note: I changed the story a bit, giving them a C-Rank instead of a D-Rank.)_** today. I believe in you, and I think that you're ready." Naruto cheered, whooping wildly, and shouting, "YES!" Kakashi hit him gently to calm him, saying, "However, I expect you to behave VERY carefully and responsibly. Make even one mistake or error, and I WILL terminate the mission, and you **will** come back to the village, doing D-Rank missions under my watch again. Is that understood?" All three of them nodded. They were all excited, though Sasuke did not show it. Finally, they would get a chance to prove their prowess as ninjas!

* * *

_10 minutes later, at the Hokage Tower. . . . . . . ._

When they arrived, Naruto was bouncing on his feet, bursting with excitement. As they walked through the halls, their excitement steadily grew; even Sasuke was on edge. As they entered the Hokage's office, Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork, smiling. "Well, Kakashi, what feat of daring shall I set your squad to perform today?", he joked. Kakashi squared his shoulders, but before he could speak, Naruto shouted, "Jiji, we want a **proper** mission! I'm tired of this crap!" Sarutobi was serious. "Do you honestly believe that you are ready for a mission of a higher rank? Think carefully, now." He recieved no answer, but he didn't need one. It was clear from the fervent expressions on their faces, even Sasukes'.

Sarutobi sighed. "Well, as you are so determined, I'll give you a higher mission." He saw the excited looks on their faces, and how rapidly they sloughed away when he added, "Mind you, its' only one rank higher, a C-rank mission. That should be difficult enough for you." Seeing the mutinous looks on their faces, he hastily said, "Here's your client!" He pressed a button, and a door opened in the wall, revealing an old man with spiked white hair. He was carrying a nearly drained bottle of sake, wearing a black shirt and a white cloth, carrying a brown bundle of something or the other. He also sported an oddly shaped brown hat, shaped like a thin dome at the bottom, and tapering off to a tall, thin, projection.

He stared at them in a slightly bleary manner, and spoke with a sneer,. "So **_these_** are the ninja that are supposed to be protecting me? Look at them, they're squirts! You're sure that they can do the job?"

Kakashi had to hold Naruto back. He was straining and struggling, red-faced. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!", he shouted. "**Come on, Kakashi-sensei!"**, he shouted. "He just insulted us! Don;t you think we should do something?"

"Naruto," said Kakashi calmly, "This is our client. We cannot be so rude to him." Turning to Tazuna, he apologized. "I'm sorry about that. Naruto can be a bit. . . . . hotheaded. . at times. Anyways, Tazuna-san, would you please tell me the details of the mission?"

The Hokage coughed, and said, "Ahem! Well, Tazuna-san has requested that we provide protection from some bandits who appear to be following him. He says that he spotted them tracking him in the forest, though they did not see him.


End file.
